WANTED
by animeflower107
Summary: Lucas is the son of an incredibly rich family and heir to the next generation of Heartfilia Corporation, making him a major target for kidnappings and a highly sought after young man for marriage requests. When his body guards fail to protect him, an unlikely savior comes his way—a half dressed woman with long pink hair who's quite possibly a felon! Genderbendt AU NaLu 4 ObeliskX
1. The Prologue: Haves and Have Nots

WANTED

Lucas is the son of an incredibly rich family and heir to the next generation of Heartfilia Corporation, making him a major target for kidnappings and a highly sought after young man for marriage requests. When his body guards fail to protect him, an unlikely savior comes his way—a half dressed woman with long pink hair who's quite possibly a felon?! Genderbender AU NaLu –For ObeliskX

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Af1-chan: What's up guys! Here's my newest baby. I've always wanted to try a genderbender fic. This was requested by ObeliskX. Major shout out to you! I hope you enjoy what I came up with : )

Real brief note: I am discontinuing _Gate of the Nightmare's Realm_ completely because I'm not even sure what I was writing back then lol. If you happen to like that story, feel free to request it opening back up. I might pick up _Vermillion's Comet_ again (maybe). _Super Secret Agent Lucy Heartfilia_ will be up VERY soon, I promise. I might also rewrite it. Lastly, I'm going to eventually rewrite _Flittering Misfortune_ , so for now that's on hiatus. Feel free to check out my other—older, much older—work, and my Instagram: "x. leanimegoddess .x" no spaces for updates on how I'm doing with life and my stories.

With all that said, please enjoy this story! And remember, only Mashima owns Fairy Tail (which ends this week… I am CRYING).

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Chapter 1: Prologue: Haves and Have Nots

In the kingdom of Fiore, there was an evident social hierarchy. Although there was the king, just below the ranking of king ruled the CEOs. Where the king controlled the people, the CEOs controlled the wealth. And in Fiore, if you weren't a CEO or at least in the upper class, you were likely dirt poor or trapped under the thumb of the CEOs. These two opposing classes did not interact, with the exception of a business setting. The Haves did not care much about the Have Nots, and most of the Have Nots loathed the Haves.

In this hierarchy, Lucas Heartfilia was one of the "Haves." His family was one of the five major conglomerates in Fiore as a whole, not to mention the wealthiest of the elite families. Although he did not particularly care for the life style that accompanied being rich and essentially famous, he was the heir to the Heartfilia Corporation and it was the only world he knew.

He gazed down on the city of Magnolia from his office on the 54th floor of his father's building. The people in the city below looked like ants, buzzing and moving about in the complex ant hive that fueled their business. He could just barely see himself in the gigantic window. He adjusted the red tie tucked into his black suit and made sure his suit was still cuffed just right. Lastly, he checked his slicked back blond hair and flashed a smile. He looked good.

Today, he would seal the deal that would open up another branch of the Heartfilia Corporation in the southern section of the country. It would be the first deal he's ever closed of this caliber. At nineteen, he would be the one to expand the family business. His father would surely be pleased.

"The financial planner of Caelum is here sir," his main body guard, Ezekiel said, startling him. "Would you like me to escort you to the meeting room now, or does he need to wait?"

Lucas turned to face man whose shaggy, scarlet colored hair contrasted greatly with his kempt, plain blond.

"I'll see him now." He replied, walking away from the glass window.

"Right this way."

* * *

Five hours later, Lucas shook the hand of the generic older man he had just met with, his sweat beaded brow evidence of the intense discussion that just took place. The brown haired man clad with glasses gave him a smile as he departed the room to make the arrangements they'd agreed upon. Lucas made a great impression, so the financial planner agreed to even consider talking to some other cities in the surrounding area about partnering with Heartfilia Corp.

He was practically beaming as he headed back up to his personal office. If he wasn't in such a professional environment, he would probably be _skippin_ g in glee.

He actually did it!

"Lucas." He heard Ezekiel say from behind him.

"Yes?" He said, stopping in his tracks.

"Your father has requested to see you." The young guard said simply.

There was no smile, no congratulations. Though, Lucas was not surprised. Although Ezekiel was his most trusted body guard, he was a surprisingly bland man for someone with striking red hair. Dad preferred to stick him with top bodyguards that would not influence or morally corrupt him. After all, as the sole Heartfilia heir, he spent a lot of time with these elites hovering over his shoulder. These "elite" men were mostly tall, dark haired men around the age of thirty who wore sunglasses indoors. The day Ezekiel came onto the scene, Lucas was overjoyed despite how boring he was.

"Okay." The blond haired man replied, spinning on his heels to head towards the elevator.

The two of them walked down the huge hallway to his father's office. His bodyguard gave it two light knocks.

"Enter." The gruff voice inside said.

Ezekiel opened the door and stood aside, allowing Lucas to enter. He then bowed and stepped out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

Judith Heartfilia, known to those close to him as Jude, sat at his gigantic mahogany wood desk with his hands clasped together under his chin in thought. His two carbon copy bodyguards stood at attention against the giant windows behind him. They were his most trusted bodyguards, and the only two allowed to listen in on any conversation Jude had.

"Boys, step outside for a moment." The CEO barked.

"Yes sir." They said simultaneously, leaving their posts.

Lucas watched with raised eyebrows as the two bodyguards left the room as well. Now, it was just him and his father.

"Come sit." He commanded, gesturing to the chair in front of him.

He took a seat quietly at the desk, unsure of what exactly he was called in for. It must be pretty crazy, considering he had both of his own bodyguards leave. Subconsciously, the blond haired young man began to sweat.

"Son," the older man began, "you've changed quite a lot over the years. You're really becoming the responsible professional I've raised you to be." He paused and sucked in a breath.

Was he going to congratulate him for closing the deal?

"As you've gotten older, I'm sure you've realized you would one day inherit great responsibility. As such, it is now time for you to step up and lead this company to the future."

Was he about to be handed the company?! So suddenly?! His eyes widened slightly as he gripped the sides of his chair tightly, attempting to suppress his multitude of emotions.

"Over the past couple months, I've been speaking with some of the other wealthy families about what's in store for the future." He reached into his desk and pulled out several shiny pieces of paper. Lucas looked on curiously. "Although you've never met, they too have children that have come of age. Luckily for you, Lucas, you are allowed to have your pick of these lovely ladies."

"M-My pick?" Lucas stammered, caught off guard. That… was not what he was expecting to hear.

His father pushed the photos towards him. "Even the princess is an option, but I will not force you into that. Their family is kind of intense, and they aren't really on the business side of things. Although, it could prove useful to be Heartfilia Corporation to have ties to the royal family…" He ran his hands through his beard.

The young man tensed up in his seat, glancing haphazardly at the young women on the pages before him. From what he could see, there was a blue haired woman belonging to the Fernandez family, a woman with long white hair of the Strauss family, a rusty red haired woman of the Straight family, a blonde haired woman of the Dreyar family, and sure enough was Hisui E. Fiore, the green haired princess. He didn't bother to read their first names. He was livid.

Noticing his son's dark expression, Jude's eyes widened dramatically. "Never mind, I will keep my word and allow you to have a choice in the matter!" He reached into the desk and pulled out some more photos. "Here, look. They aren't major families, but they are within the top ranks too. You could create a power couple that would edge another family out of business."

He inched held the papers out for his son to take. Lucas looked away, face downcast. Judith Heartfilia sat back in his chair, finally catching on.

"You're not excited to get married?" He asked, placing the names on the table. "It's a major stepping stone for you and the company!"

"I'm only nineteen." Lucas replied, continuing to grip the chair for support. He ignored the new batch of girls placed before him.

"So?" Jude replied with a laugh. "I married your mother at seventeen as a merger move. We bought their company out and now look," He stood up and extended his arms out wide, "We now essentially own Magnolia, its surrounding cities, and some of the northern reaches of the country!"

His father beamed with arrogance. It made the young blond sick to his stomach.

"What about love? What about a relationship?!" Lucas replied angrily, shooting up from the chair. "I'm not ready for all that!"

"Well, you better get ready." Jude replied shortly, walking over to him.

They were the exact same height. Mr. Heartfilia narrowed his eyes as Lucas's nose flared, his patience thinning by the second.

"It's your duty as heir to inherit these responsibilities. Relationships are built. Love can be bought. _Create_ a relationship from the love you're about to buy."

"That's exactly why things didn't work out between you and mom!" He yelled, earning a slap to the face. He did not flinch.

"Your mother and I had our reasons for separating. It had nothing to do with the merger." His father replied coldly.

The two continued to stare each other in the eye, Lucas struggling to control his hitched breathing. The stinging red mark on his face did not bother him in the slightest. He could break something right now.

"I'm sure you realized that this would happen someday." Jude continued.

"I'm not ready to be married." Lucas repeated.

"This is the best time for marriage!" His father countered. "Regardless of timing, this is the only selection of women you'd ever have anyway, so why not now? Did you think you could marry a Have Not?"

"I don't care about the stature!" He replied angrily. "This whole 'Have' and 'Have Not' talk is annoying! I get it, we're rich. We're important. That's great but, I just want to be able to meet the woman of my dreams on my own accord, not be handed a list and an ultimatum."

"That's just too bad, Lucas. We don't all get what we want in life."

Lucas opened his mouth to say something, but his words failed him. Sighing, Jude went to sit back down in his chair.

"I'm sure you can be reasonable and realize that this is your responsibility." The chair made a slight whooshing noise as he sat down. "You just need time to think. These are all very beautiful ladies. I'll even arrange for a masquerade ball for you to meet the right one for you. You're lucky to have a choice in the matter. They don't."

"Don't you think that's cruel to them?" Lucas asked quietly.

"I'm sure they are more than excited to finally find the love of their life." Jude responded, causing Lucas to squeeze his palms together tightly. "There are other young men of our status who have also come of age. I suggest you make your decision quickly before the woman you like best is taken off the market."

He motioned for Lucas to take the photographs. After staring for a moment, his son snatched them angrily and turned on his heels toward the door.

"By the way," He began, stopping his son in his tracks, "I hear you closed a deal today." Lucas glanced over his shoulder. His father had no smile, no emotion.

"Yeah, I did." Lucas replied simply, leaving the room.

Jude shook his head disappointedly as the door slammed to a close.

"Matthew, Jeremy!" Mr. Heartfilia yelled.

His two identical body guards rushed in the room and stood attentively in front of the desk, waiting for orders.

"Escort Lucas back to the manor and tell Ezekiel he's off duty for the rest of the day. Be sure my son stays in his room until he makes his decision."

"Yes sir." The two said in unison before heading out of the room.

Jude turned around in his chair to face the great city before him. The sun was now setting, the bright lights of the city beginning to become more and more evident against the darkening sky.

"He'll thank me one day." Judith said to himself, continuing to gaze out of the large window.

* * *

"Fuck!" Lucas yelled, kicking a potted plant in his office. The defenseless plant shattered, its contents spilling onto the floor.

"Oops." He said, scratching his head as he looked on at the sad plant.

Despite his rage, he felt bad for the plant. He wasn't much of a swearer or a plant abuser, but today just took the cake. He was at his wit's end.

Without warning, his office door sprang open.

"Who just opened my door without knocking?!" He asked angrily.

"Your father has requested we take you home." One of the body guards said. "Don't worry, I'll call someone to replant the plant."

"Why are you here? Where's Zeke?" Lucas asked.

"He's off duty for the day." The other guard replied simply.

"Of course. Of-fucking-course!" Lucas lamented, stomping over to them. "Fine, let's go. I need to get out of here."

Lucas composed himself as they made their way through the hallway and down the elevator to the very first floor. Through the glass double doors of the building, there was already a shiny black mini limousine outside with tinted windows to escort him home.

One of the guards opened the glass door for him to leave the building, while the other held open the limo door. He tucked his head as he maneuvered his way into the car. The bodyguard that opened the limo door for him sat directly next to him in the backseat, while the other went to the passenger seat in the front. Lucas was very uncomfortable with the close proximity of this particular guard.

The car revved to a start. The young man turned to look out of the window at the passing buildings to distract himself from his situation. It didn't help much. The thoughts of his newfound duty swirled in his head; the photos in his head seeming to weigh a thousand pounds. He always did his best to make his father proud, but he never received any recognition. He didn't want to have to marry a stranger just to receive that approval.

The limo hit a bump in the road, causing him to hit his head on the ceiling. Lucas instinctively patted his head, the photos spilling all over the floor.

"Are you alright?" The guard asked, clutching his arm tightly.

"Yes, I'm fine." He said, wincing at both his headache and the tight hold on his arm.

After about five seconds, he still maintained his vice grip. Lucas raised an eyebrow.

"You can let go of my arm now." He said, staring the man in his dark sunglasses.

He continued to grip his arm.

"Oi! Let me go." Lucas said loudly, jerking his arm away from him.

"Sorry, I was distracted." He said, pulling his hand back.

Lucas looked to his arm in dismay. This "elite" body guard left a dirty brown smudge on his new suit!

"Aw man!" Lucas whined, examining the spot in disgust. "Why are your hands so dirty? I just had this dry cleaned."

"Here, let me get it off for you." The glasses clad man said, reaching into his pocket.

"That's okay, you've done enough." Lucas said, clearly uncomfortable with him.

Despite this, the bodyguard pulled out a damp handkerchief that had an odd odor to it. Lucas scooted to the farther side of the seat in a split second, gripping the fabric that separated the back of the limo from the front.

"What is on that?" He asked, taken aback.

"The perfect solution to the dirt problem." He replied simply, scooting towards him.

By this point, Lucas was beyond uncomfortable. He was scared.

"Oi, one of you switch with this guard!" Lucas yelled, tapping on the window between them.

Neither of the two guards in the front replied.

The man in the backseat with him suddenly leapt forward and covered his mouth with the damp fabric. Lucas's eyes widened in dismay as he realized what was happening. Everything began to fade around him.

"Hlllp!" He yelled, muffled by the fabric and slurred by the drug. He punched the bodyguard's head a couple of times, but his strength was being sapped away.

"Don't worry," the man said, ignoring the light taps. "Just go to sleep. You won't be harmed; you'll just fetch a nice ransom."

Lucas tried to bang on the window or scream, but his body wouldn't cooperate with him. The spots in his vision were growing larger and larger by the second.

"At least you don't have to worry about your arranged marriage problem for a while." He whispered deviously.

With a final hard breath, Lucas's eyes fluttered to a complete close. The man patted his head as he slumped down in his seat.

"Good child." The man said, patting him on the head.

He propped the heir up in the corner against the divider and the seat. He removed the boy's cellphone and wallet and stuffed it into his suit jacket.

"All good back there, Jeremy?" The man in the passenger seat asked.

"Everything's great." He replied, taking a seat on the seat across from Lucas.

Once he was comfortable, he pulled out a walkie talkie from his pocket.

"Code green, we have the package for delivery." He said into the device.

"Roger that; we are in position to receive the package." The voice on the other side said.

The limo sped down the street to its revised destination, the people on the street none the wiser to the situation inside the car.

* * *

Af1-chan: Betrayal from the top ranking guards? How can this be? What's going to happen next? Stay tuned to find out!

Well what did you think? Let me know please! See you all very soon.

Happy: Aye! Don't forget to subscribe, read and review!


	2. Not Your Average Hero

WANTED

Lucas is the son of an incredibly rich family and heir to the next generation of Heartfilia Corporation, making him a major target for kidnappings and a highly sought after young man for marriage requests. When his body guards fail to protect him, an unlikely savior comes his way— a half dressed woman with long pink hair who's quite possibly a felon?! Genderbender AU NaLu –For ObeliskX

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Nothing to say this time! Enjoy the chapter :)

-.-.-.-

Chapter 2: Not Your Average Hero

When Lucas finally came to, there was no sign of his corrupt body guards. In fact, there was no sign of anyone at all. He was alone on a cold, hard floor, facing a crackling fire pit and a grey wall.

"What?" He whispered quietly. He attempted to sit up, only to discover he was tied up with large, brown ropes.

"Darn." He mumbled. _Where am I?_

For what it was worth, he appeared to be alone. Above the cracklings of the campfire, he could just barely make out the sounds of crickets chirping behind him.

 _Crickets?_ He thought confused.

Mildly alarmed, he wiggled like a jelly bean until he was facing the other side. A circular opening allowed a vast expanse of trees to be seen despite how dark it was outside. Then, it dawned on him. He had to be in a cave! In the middle of a forest! And pretty high up at that!

This detour was _not_ what he was asking for when he wished he didn't have to have an arranged marriage.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps and laughing male voices from outside of the cave, interrupting his thoughts. He panicked as he began to inch like an inch worm to the back of the cave. He wasn't exactly sure where he would be going, but he had to at least try to hide or something.

"Oh look, he's awake." One of the men said.

Lucas began to scoot even more quickly as the footsteps of the men grew louder and louder. He grimaced as the sounds came to a stop behind him.

"What've we got here?" A different man said.

"One of those rich kids. Picked him up from a seller this morning." The first replied. "On the stipulation we don't hurt him."

One of the men hoisted Lucas up by the ropes binding him and held him out like a trophy. Even without looking at him, the young heir could tell he had a smug look on his face.

"Oi!" He shouted. "Let me go! Where am I?!"

The two men in front of him smirked. One was an orange haired man about his height. His partner was much shorter and sported spiky white hair. They both had long swords strapped to their backs, and the white haired one had a gun strapped to his side.

"Relax. We payed a pretty penny for our merchandise, so we'd never damage it." The man holding him up spoke.

He turned the still dangling Lucas to face him. Upon seeing his features, Lucas audibly gasped. This man had long, black hair tucked neatly into a ponytail. That wasn't the shocking part. Of his two eyes, one had a long, jagged scar across it and was closed, most likely permanently missing. The other was a piercing light blue. It was cold, calculating, like a harsh blizzard.

"Scary huh?" The man asked, giving him a frightening, toothy grin that revealed his sharp teeth. "We're quite scary dudes. Your daddy wouldn't be too happy if we hurt ya, but as long as we get the random money I don't give a damn."

He dropped Lucas to the ground.

"For now, we won't lay a finger on you if you behave."

Lucas glared sharply at the man. The dark haired man stooped down and grabbed him by his blonde hair. Lucas winced in pain.

"Glare at me again and you'll be losing some of those pretty features on that face of yours." He pointed at his missing eyeball. Fear tingled Lucas's spine.

The man threw him sharply to the ground and kicked him in the stomach. Lucas curled up as much as the ropes binding him allowed, coughs erupting from his frame. The scary man laughed heartily and swaggered off towards the mouth of the cave.

"Imma grab some food, Keegan, Lewis. Keep watch on the snobby brat."

"Yes sir, Kane-sama." The two said in unison.

With that, the leader was gone. The two lackeys sneered at Lucas as they took their seats on the other side of the fire.

"Where am I?" Lucas asked, though less defiantly.

"He still has the courage to ask questions after that, Ke?" The white haired man asked, amused.

"Quite the curious brat, aren't ya?" The orange haired man replied. He sighed. "You're a long way from Magnolia, kid. So don't get any ideas."

"Whatever." Lucas replied, rolling over to face the wall. "I don't necessarily want to go back home anyway."

They ignored him and began to chat. He assumed the short one was Lewis, while the orange haired one was Keegan. He attempted to wiggle his fingers, but nothing budged. His constraints definitely weren't coming off so easily.

 _Dammit._ He thought. This situation had to be fake—it was just like something his mom would've read him from a book. How could the guards his father trusted so much betray them in this way? Ezekiel would ever do this to him.

He thought of all the times the elder Heartfilia arrogantly barked orders at his guards and talked down to them, likely considering them just above average townsfolk. To be honest, he would be ready to betray him too. Who knows how long he'll be stuck in this cave.

One thing was certain. Although his captors were frightening, at the moment, he was free from all his duties as a Heartfilia.

The fire crackling behind him warmed his back. Despite his uncomfortable bindings, the feeling was quite soothing. For now, he would take a nap. On daybreak, he would figure out a way to get out of this mess.

* * *

Mr. Heartfilia paced behind the desk in his home office, refraining from damaging anymore of his property than he already had. The room was inadequately lit by his dented desk lamp and the moon light flowing in from the cracked window behind him. Despite the poor lighting, the destruction invoked by his wrath was evident. Broken china, smashed plants and tossed chairs littered the floor.

Before him stood his two most trusted bodyguards, as well as the driver from the limousine. The three of them were bandaged and had obviously suffered a beating. Jeremy even had a black eye that spread beyond his dark shades.

"So please, explain to me what happened again..." he instructed calmly, continuing to pace.

"A group of bandits overtook the limo at the tree filled bend a few miles out..." the driver explained, looking crestfallen." After we crashed, they broke into the car and restrained us. These two fought nobly, but there were too many of them. They took L-"

Abruptly, Heartfilia threw a cup of pens on his desk at the wall, scattering and breaking them. The sound of his heavy breathing filled the silence that existed in the room.

"I'm really sorry sir." Matthew said. "We can have a search party sent out immediately."

"I SHOULDN'T EVEN HAVE TO SEND OUT A SEARCH PARTY!" He roared, kicking the chair that somehow managed to evade his rage. "You... imbeciles..." he gripped his desk tightly, likely refraining from flipping that over too.

"How could my most trusted fail me?" Mr. Heartfilia mumbled to himself.

"I'm sorry sir." Jeremy said.

"Sorry?" Jude repeated. "HA! I'm sorry too. I'm sorry that you incompetent fools allowed my damn son to be snatched under your nose! I'm sorry that my reputation is about to plummet because I've already scheduled a masquerade ball for a missing boy. I'm sorry that I trusted you! So don't you be sorry. You're fired!"

He kicked his desk harshly, though the tough wood did not budge.

"But sir!" Jeremy retorted. "We can get him back, I promise."

"EZEKIEL, ESCORT THEM OUT!" He yelled angrily, ignoring his pleas.

The young bodyguard rushed into the room on command, an angry aura flowing from his body. He shoved the largest bodyguard, Jeremy harshly towards the door. Jeremy glanced down to him, annoyed, but began to walk. The other men followed suit, briskly escorting themselves from Jude's presence. Then Mr. Heartfilia was alone.

Jude walked over to the chair he'd just kicked and pushed it back to the desk. He took a seat quietly, trying to calm his breathing. He stared into the only item on his desk that was not damaged-a picture of him, his ex-wife and his young son. He sighed heavily and placed his head in his hands.

If she were around, she'd literally wring him by the neck.

* * *

"Wake up, rich brat." A gruff voice said, poking him in his side.

Lucas instantly recognized it as Kane. He turned from the wall to face him, rolling into something squishy.

"Ew! What was that?" He asked, scooting into the wall.

"It _was_ your breakfast." Kane replied, shaking his head. "Dammit, brat. We are leaving for a while, and that was the only thing for you to eat today."

Lucas glanced to the mushed food in dismay. It's not like he would've wanted to eat that anyway.

"Yer' dad is eager to get ya back home. Supposedly has already offered up money for your return or clues to your whereabouts. We're gonna go sniff around a couple of towns nearby for some more info and milk this for much as possible. Don't worry though, we'll be back late tonight."

"Delightful." Lucas said sarcastically. "I'll be sure to keep the fire going while you're gone."

"Great." He replied, grabbing him by the hair.

"Let me go!" He yelled, not thinking about the consequences.

"You've got spunk kid. I might have to keep ya around for even longer than expected." With that, he relinquished him and sauntered out of the cave.

He couldn't sit here all day doing nothing!

"Wait! I need to pee!" He yelled after them.

After several seconds, Lewis popped back in the cave, looking very annoyed.

"Dammit, brat. They made me come back to check on you. Just go in the corner." He said.

"But, I can't get out of the ropes." Lucas said, mustering up his most pained face. It made Lewis uncomfortable.

"Fine." Lewis said, cutting through the rope with his sharp knife.

Lucas stretched his stiff muscles and tapped his feet happily, relieved to have freedom of movement again. Before he could get too comfy, he felt a sharp point connect to his back.

"This is just so you can piss. Try anything funny and I'll gut ya." He glowered.

The blonde walked to the front of the cave, hyperaware of the sword in his back. Lewis was significantly shorter than him, so he felt he could either shock or overpower him enough to buy himself a little time to escape. His heart dropped once he reached the mouth of the cave. He expected to find a giant bye navigable grass slope outside, but they seemed to be in a literal hole in the mountain. The walk way next to the cave was so thin he'd literally have to hug the wall to escape. He grimaced as the sword jabbed him even harder in the back.

"Pee over the ledge already!" The short man said angrily.

Disheartened his impromptu escape plan would not work, he reluctantly peed over the ledge. In all his years, he would have never imagined himself captured in a faraway cave, peeing into the wind outside.

Once he had finished his business, Lewis led him to the back of the cave and restrained him with the ropes again.

"Now, you should be fine." He said, grabbing more rope from the large spool of rope he had at his disposal. "Behave while we are gone." Then, he was gone.

Lucas flopped on his back and sighed heavily. They had to be using rope to escape, and if that was the case, he'd never be getting out of here while he was tied up. This scenario called for some critical thinking.

Hours passed before Lucas made his next move. He inched his way to the rocks surrounding the extinguished fire pit and began to inch back and forth, hoping to thin his ropes. After five minutes and much effort later, he finally gave up.

"Come on!" He lamented.

He scooted away from the fire pit and sat by the wall to generate more ideas. At this point, he couldn't act until they came back. He couldn't use his handsome charms on them, that's for sure. Although he could attempt to talk himself out of the ropes, there was no way he could escape without getting hurt—be it by his captors or nature itself. Not to mention the fact he had no idea where he was. There weren't any forests within a reasonable distance from his city.

Again he tried to stretch the ropes tying him up to no avail. Looks like thinking intellectually wouldn't work out for him after all. He felt powerless. Like a damsel in distress.

Lucas used to read stories about damsels in distress all the time when his mother was in his life; stories about girls who were suddenly locked away or stolen from their families only to be rescued by a prince in shining armor. Lucas stopped reading these stories long, long ago, when his dad forced him to believe that fantasies and stories were for people without a set path in life. He found it funny how things of fantasy were suddenly his reality, except in this story, no prince would be coming to whisk him away. If anything, he would be unwittingly sold back to his father and trapped in yet another tower.

Now, Lucas didn't necessarily need a prince to rescue him, but he did need a hero to get him out of here _and_ keep him from his father's clutches. Just like in the stories.

A growl erupted from his stomach, reminding Lucas of his squashed, inedible meal from earlier. He snuggled into the wall, deciding to sleep the hunger away.

-.-.-.-

"Not again!" A brash female voice yelled.

Lucas stirred from his sleep to see a figure with long hair flapping in the wind against the golden sky. "A prince?" He murmured in disbelief, squinting his eyes.

As his vision came to, he realized it was not a prince but a pink haired woman wearing white bandages around her large breasts, white capris with black ties at the bottom, sandals, and an open black tunic with gold trimming standing in the door of the cave looking quite angry. Lucas rolled his eyes. She had to be a delinquent in league with the bandits.

"How do these people keep finding me?!" She yelled, much to his confusion.

A small blue dog he had not noticed before growled menacingly. A blue dog? This _had_ to be a dream. He closed his eyes, hoping the figures would dissipate.

She stormed over to Lucas, hair flapping violently behind her. In a flash, she placed a pocket knife to his neck and stepped on his stomach. He gulped. This was no dream.

"I don't know who told you I was into bondage but they're wrong—I picked up that book by accident—and even if I was my guard wouldn't drop so easily!"

"Bondage? Wha-What are you talking about?!" Lucas asked confused, a light blush creeping to his face.

"What am I talking about?" She asked, annoyed. "Why the _fuck_ are you in my cave?"

"Your cave?" He repeated.

"Yes, my cave." She replied.

The dog next to her barked angrily. This was insane.

"I was kidnapped." Lucas said with a sneer. "I have no idea what is going on, so could you please get your boobs out of my face and the knife off of my neck?"

The mystery woman stared at him, scrutinizing his face for any signs of lying.

"So you're not here to kidnap me and take me back?" She asked, taking the knife away from his neck.

"I really don't know what you're talking about." Lucas replied.

"And you didn't hear any weird rumors about bondage or anything like that?"

"Like I said, I _really_ don't know what you're talking about." He assured her with a sweat drop.

In one swift swipe, she cut the ropes from his body. Lucas jumped in glee.

"I'm free!" He shouted, grabbing her by the shoulders. "Thank you! Thank you so much!"

"Um, no problem?" She said wearily.

The dog by her side nipped at his pants. He looked down disapprovingly.

"Who the fuck is in there?!" Kane's voice roared from outside the cave.

"Shit, they're back!" Lucas said.

They were gonna kill this girl and her dog, and probably beat his ass too. He grabbed her by the hand and scooted against the wall of the cave, trying to formulate a plan. There was nowhere to go and it was too late. All three of his captors were now at the mouth of the cave.

"Lucas found a girlfriend while we were gone?" Keegan asked, cracking his knuckles.

The dog barked madly at the men. Lucas desperately shushed him. This was not good at all.

"Happy, shh." The woman said, walking away from Lucas.

He stretched out his arm, silently pleading for her not to walk toward the front of that cave. The now silent dog wagged his tail as he watched his owner face the men.

"What's up little lady, wanna play?" Lewis asked with a devious smirk.

"I had been wishing the heir was a pretty blonde girl. A pretty pink one will have to do." Kane said, reaching out to the mystery woman.

She smacked his hand away, filling Lucas with dread.

"The only little one here is you, white haired bastard." She said, putting her hands to her hips. "Honestly, you lot are pretty rude for storming into my house."

"L-Little…" Lewis repeated to himself. He seemed to shrink in size.

"Aw look! Ya made him insecure." Keegan said, sheltering his partner behind his back. "Why'd you have to do that?"

"He shouldn't be in my damn house!" She retorted.

"Alright, that's enough outta you." Kane said angrily, reaching for the sword behind his back.

"No don't!" Lucas cried, running at the men.

"I'm all riled up." The pink haired woman said, tying her hair in a ponytail.

In a flash, she socked the menacing Kane in the jaw and kicked Keegan in the face. The unprepared men knocked into each other, bumping heads with a loud thud. The much taller Keegan collapsed onto this still shaken Lewis, knocking them both out completely.

Kane staggered. The devilish behemoth would not go down so easily.

"Now you've done it bitch." He said, rubbing his sore jaw. "Looks like we'll have to keep you prisoner here and teach you some manners."

He eyed her scantily clad breasts as he unsheathed his sword. It was jagged and blood stained, as if forged in the Hell's Pits themselves.

Thinking fast, Lucas grabbed a rock from the campfire and chucked it, hitting the man in the head. Kane sent him a menacing glare with his icy eye.

"That just cost you an eye and a finger." He growled, causing the boy to sweat profusely.

"Keep your eyes on the battle field!" The woman yelled, delivering a heavy kick to his gonads.

The man's eyes bulged in a cartoonish manner as he collapsed to the ground, gripping his poor nether regions. He looked up to her in pain.

"You look… familiar." He said weakly before passing out, a ghost floating from his mouth.

"Don't know what you're talking about!" She said with an awkward laugh, kicking him several more times in the stomach. The ghost was now completely disconnected from his body.

Lucas raised an eyebrow. This girl was scary.

She turned her attention back to him. He quaked in fear. This definitely was not the amazing rescue he'd envisioned.

"Don't look so scared," she said. "You didn't lie to me about being kidnapped so I won't harm you. Promise."

"R-Right…" Lucas replied awkwardly, attempting to stop himself from shaking.

"What's your name?" She asked, walking over to him.

"It's Lucas. And you?" He asked.

"I'm Natsumi. Nice to meet you Luigi." She extended her hand to shake.

"It's Lucas…" He said, shaking her hand.

"I said Logan." She replied, annoyed. "Anyway, where are you from? Maybe I can help you get back."

"I'm from Magnolia." He answered, hoping she wouldn't realize his identity.

"Never heard of it." She replied in a bored tone.

"How could you have never heard of-." Lucas began, but stopped himself.

This was a rare chance. All his life, he was raised to recognize how important Magnolia was and trained to act like a boring business man. He was always surrounded by bodyguards who stopped him from enjoying his childhood and convinced him that he was safe if he did what his father told him to do. He was never allowed to be himself. Now that his way of life was shattered and exposed for the lie that it was, meeting a woman who had no idea where he was from was just what he needed.

For once, he would live.

"Well, looks like I can't help you." She said, interrupting his thoughts. "I'll get you down from here, but after that you're on your own."

She stepped over the bandits' bodies and stood at the mouth of the cave.

"Wait!" Lucas said, walking around the passed out men. "Could I join you?"

"No way!" She replied hastily. "I'm on the run. All I need is Happy."

The dog at her side barked happily.

"I can help you!" He pleaded.

"Oh yeah? How?" Natsumi asked, tapping her foot.

"I can help you fight… and gather food… and come up with good plans!" Lucas assured her.

"No offense, but your performance just now wasn't very convincing." She said.

"Please!" He begged, bowing as if he were meeting an important official.

Natsumi wrinkled her nose. "Fine, just stop that. It's weird."

"Yes!" He said triumphantly, eyes gleaming.

"You know you're gonna be a fugitive if you follow me…" She said, trying to dissuade him.

Lucas stopped in his tracks. A fugitive? Did he really want to be associated with whatever this girl was involved in? Plus, if he were to garner a record, he'd never be able to do business again. But wasn't that what he wanted?  
"I can handle that." He said firmly, earning an eye roll from the pink haired girl.

"Fine, Luigi. Let's go." She replied, motioning for him to come closer.

Lucas was so happy he didn't even bother correcting his name.

Happy barked at him, clearly unhappy with his presence.

"And you can stop barking." Natsumi said, looking to her dog.

"Fine." The dog said, much to Lucas's shock.

"H-He can talk?" Lucas stammered. Okay. This definitely had to be a dream. He blinked three times, but his captors were still knocked out and the two of them were still there.

"I'm a girl, and yes I can talk." Happy replied. "Now hop on, we're gonna fly out of here."

"Hop on? Fly?" Lucas repeated, his head spinning.

Happy produced a pair of wings from his back. Lucas was one more shock from passing out.

"Wait, Happy." Natsumi said. "I don't think you can carry both of us. We'll have to grapple down."

"Aye. That makes sense." Happy said, retracting his wings.

Lucas stared at the two of them in disbelief, pinching himself in the leg as hard as possible to confirm for the fourth or fifth time in the hour that he wasn't dreaming. He was really rescued from his captors by a half dressed girl with a talking, flying dog. They were like really off brand, mutated super heroes sent straight from the trashcan of one of the author's his mom used to read him.

"Are you coming or what?" Natsumi asked, securing a long rope to a rock coming out of the side of the mountain just below the narrow path.

Lucas jolted out of his thoughts. "Yeah, I'm coming." He said, trotting over.

Happy floated next Natsumi as she began to shimmy her way down the long rope. Lucas looked from the rope to the tree tops far below and pictured himself falling to his death. He sucked in a sharp breath. He navigated business meetings, so surely he could do this. This was the road leading away from his regimented life; the road to his new adventure.

* * *

Af1-chan: Andddd we're done! How'd I do? Leave a comment below and let me know what you think. I love reviews, and I do reply to them!

Happy: Aye! Review in memory of 11 years of Fairy Tail!

Af1-chan: *…cries*


	3. Foreign Territory

Chapter 3: Foreign Territory

Lucas trudged through the thick forest, following closely behind Natsumi and Happy. The sun was almost completely set, and it was beginning to get dark. They'd been walking for what seemed like a millennium, and he was on the verge of passing out from a deadly combination heat exhaustion and hunger. As if on cue, his stomach rumbled loudly. Natsumi glanced over her shoulder.

"Oi. Can't you keep it down?" She asked, halting her advance.

"Well excuse me." He replied. "I just haven't eaten since they caught me. I don't know what day it is or where on Eartland I am."

Natsumi sighed. "It can't be helped. We've gotten far enough from that cave, so they shouldn't be able to find us once it gets dark. Let's set up here for tonight." She turned to her dog. "Could you find us some food?"

"Aye ma'am!" Happy said before darting off into the forest.

"And you," she said, pointing at him, "Help me gather some firewood before the sun goes out."

Lucas nodded his head rapidly and darted off into the forest, determination in his eyes. He could tell Natsumi felt he was a nuisance. He wanted to change that since they would be traveling together.

"Let's see…" He mumbled to himself. "Firewood…?"

Problem number one with this task was that he was raised in luxury and had no idea what he was looking for. Did firewood differ from regular wood?

"I think I read once it should be super dry wood…"

He glanced around. There was lots of dewy grass and rocks, but all the wood was actually attached to a tree. If it did need to be super dry wood, none of this would fit the bill. A large, withering tree in front of him caught his eye. He inspected it carefully; it seemed to be on its last leg.

"Jackpot." He smirked.

He grabbed a piece of the peeling bark and yanked it downward. Out crawled an army of very angry ants who had been using that tree as their home. Lucas screamed and ran in the opposite direction, dropping the wood he salvaged in the process.

Several minutes later, he finally stopped running. He placed his hands on his legs to catch his breath. That was a close one; he was mildly allergic to ants and scared of bugs in general—not that anyone needed to know that. He surveyed the area with his eyes, chest heaving heavily from his sprinting. He needed to get into shape.

"Ohhh shit." He whispered to himself. This looked nothing like wherever Natsumi parked them for the night. In fact, the only way he'd be able to find that spot would be finding Natsumi herself. Everything looked the same to him. His breathing began to pick up again. The sun was about to set and he was lost. The trees seemed to shoot up 100 meters in height; every nook and cranny seemed to be covered in eyes, and every noise seemed to boom in his ears.

"Natsu…mi?" Lucas called. "Natsumi!"

A gust of wind behind him ruffled his hair as hot, heavy breathing tickled his neck. His body tensed as he slowly turned around.

"Boo!" The presence yelled.

"Stay away!" Lucas shouted, ducking behind a nearby tree. He clutched a stray stick menacingly as he peaked out to see none other than Happy floating in the air. "Dammit dog…" He growled.

"You should've seen your face!" Happy laughed.

Despite his anger, Lucas sighed in relief. "Where is the campsite?"

"Who knows?" Happy replied nonchalantly.

The blonde almost toppled over in shock.

"You're joking, right?" Lucas asked, face twitching slightly.

"Yep!" Happy replied immediately, causing Lucas to actually fall over. "Follow me this way, and don't get lost again!"

He staggered to his feet. He could only hope the dog's shenanigans would cease soon.

-.-

Lucas sat awkwardly on a log next to the makeshift campfire Natsumi had created. _Apparently_ , when he failed to come back with wood in a reasonable amount of time, the pinkette sought out wood herself and told Happy to find him. So much for avoiding being a burden.

"Um, so where are we?" Lucas asked trying to spark up conversation.

"We are in Almoire, the forest shared between Fiore and Alvarez" Natsumi explained. "The closest Fiore town is Almorat, which is east of Bosco."

"We're by the border?!" Lucas exclaimed. They were FAR from his home. Very very far. Other side of the country far. To be fair, Fiore wasn't too big and most places could be reached in eight hours by vehicle, but that was still a grand distance.

Natsumi twisted the fresh birds Happy caught them over the fire. "Yep. I've been trying to recall where Magnolia is, but I've got a feeling it's to the West."

"No, no forget it. I've decided I don't have to go back there." Lucas said, shaking his head.

Natsumi stared for a moment, then clicked her tongue. "That's fine I guess. We've all got our reasons."

She took the meat off the fire and slipped each morsel onto a stick of its own.

"Itadakimasu!" Natsumi and Happy exclaimed before digging in.

Lucas looked at the meat hesitantly. This seemed pretty sketchy. After all, this was literally caught by a dog in a forest. What if this bird had a disease or something? He glanced to his new travel buddies-if they could be called that. They were both way too into the food, as if they hadn't eaten in a week. He sweatdropped at the sight.

"So... if we are by the border, what day is it?" He asked nervously, afraid of the answer. Hesitantly he took a bite of the bird. It was a bit tough, but the taste wasn't as bad as he was expecting.

"It's Wednesday." She replied, causing him to spit out his food.

"Ah don't waste it!" Happy and Natsumi cried.

"I'd been out for a whole day?!" Lucas yelled. No wonder he was so hungry. He had to get back and follow up on that deal-no no no, he needed to eat a bit more to recover from not eating for a full day. He was never going back there.

"What the hell did they give you?" Natsumi asked, standing up.

She placed the back of her hand to his forehead. The touch of her hand was hot-hotter than the average human-yet soft. A blush surged to his face as he avoided eye contact.

"Well, your body temperature is regular so it wasn't harmful." She removed her hand. "Another good night's rest and you'll be rarin' to go!" She flashed him a huge smile.

"I found some mushrooms that'll fill you up!" Happy said, pulling a group of white mushrooms out from the knapsack Lucas failed to notice until now.

Now, Lucas was a very sheltered teen, but he knew better than to eat wild mushrooms. The blue dog motioned for him to take one.

"That's okay." He assured her.

"More for us." Natsumi shrugged, popping a mushroom into her mouth. Lucas gasped as he watched them carelessly indulging in the mushrooms.

"Now for my next question, where are we heading?" Lucas asked, trying to distract himself from the foolishness happening.

"Well, we are heading-" Natsumi began before freezing. Her eyes were bulging out of her head.

"Oi!" Lucas gasped, standing abruptly.

He looked to Happy, who was now flipped onto back as if she were dead. The pinkette clutched at her neck as her eyes watered. Lucas rushed over, but stopped in front of her as she slumped down on the log.

The poor blonde began to panic. Now he was in the middle of the dark forest by himself with two damn dead bodies. This would not be an easy situation to explain to any passerbys, let alone authorities. He was REALLY going to be known as a felon now. That'll teach him to run away from home.

He kept turning his head swiftly from Natsumi to Happy, unsure of what he should do. Should he attempt the Heimlich? CPR? Force feed them water?

Before he could make a final decision, he noticed Natsumi's face was contorting once again, this time into a mischievous smile. Lucas's eyebrow began to twitch in annoyance.

"Bwahahah! You're too gullible." Natsumi guffawed. Happy joined in on her laughter.

Lucas rolled his eyes, sticking his lip out and looking the other way. "I thought you guys were dead."

"Relax a bit Lucugi, we scavenge all the time. No way we'd eat a poisonous shroom." Natsumi tossed him a mushroom.

"You really think I'm gonna eat this after you just played dead?!" He exclaimed, tossing it back at them. To his amusement, it hit Happy on the forehead.

"Fine, suit yourself. I'm going to bed. Be sure to rest up. We have to trek into town tomorrow." She tossed him a spare sleeping bag. "Normally Happy sleeps on this but you can use it for now."

"Thanks." Lucas said awkwardly, looking at the rolled up mat in his hand. "What about animals?"

"We'll be fine." Natsumi answered simply, snuggling up in her sleeping bag. Lucas hadn't noticed her setting it up.

He looked to the bag, to the ground, to the bag again and sighed. He had no choice but to accept these accommodations.

He closed his eyes in an attempt to fall asleep. Every time he would come close to slumber, a noise would jolt him awake. He literally felt like something was going to snatch him up and drag him away any second—or even worse, crawl on his face. The two girls across from him weren't helping—he'd never heard snores this loud. Their combined snorts sounded like trains crashing into each other.

To top it all off, his mind was racing. The shock of being outside the mansion and away from his father was still mind boggling. Another persistent thought was that he still had no idea who Natsumi and Happy were, nor did he know where they were heading. It was literally like magic they had popped into his life. His circumstances seemed fake, as if he would wake up from a dream and come to his senses in his bed any second.

Despite his racing thoughts, he managed to fall asleep eventually.

* * *

And we're done! Even in female form, Natsu constantly bullies Lucy. This chapter was not as long as usual, but I think I can produce chapters faster if I stop making them so long. Let me know what you think! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far, your encouragement keeps me going : )


	4. Up In Flames

Hi guys! Not much to say. Be warned this chapter was typed entirely on my phone, so let me know if you notice any missing words or other weirdness. Enjoy :)

Chapter 4: Up in Flames

The next morning, Lucas felt like absolute death. That was the most uncomfortable night sleep he'd ever had the (dis)pleasure of enduring. The lack of a plush bed coupled with the constant bumps, chirps and cricks of the forest creatures meant he barely slept a wink.

He looked over to the odd Natsumi, who was practically jumping with glee upon seeing Almorat come into sight. Her peppy attitude and pink hair boggled him. Who could be this excited at this hour?

"Time to stock up on supplies!" Natsumi declared excitedly. She grabbed Lucas by the hand, practically dragging the sleep deprived boy on the ground behind her.

The trio entered cobblestone town of Almorat, where many merchants were just now setting up shop for today. Many older townsfolk were talking animatedly with each other, slowly making their way through the very thin crowds beginning to form. A few kids were running around too, laughing and playing without a care in the world. Lucas was bewildered. From the design of the town to the people within it, this was a world he had never seen before.

"I'm gonna go 'investigate' that meat stand right there." Natsumi said. "You can come with or go try to find a map or something."

Before he could answer, she walked hurriedly over to the meat stand, looking way too excited about the juicy cutlets on display. Happy wagged her tail excitedly, taking a seat on the ground next to her.

"Can I help you ma'am?" The shop owner asked.

The young blonde tuned out as she began praising him for how tasty his food looked. While she was doing that, he decided he would find the local library. They were bound to have maps there, and perhaps it would hold books on wilderness survival or other things that would help him keep up with this odd woman--or even manage by himself if necessary.

Maybe he really should consider parting with her here. He kind of forced his way into her posse anyway.

He gave her a quick glance before slipping away from her side. Somehow the crowd had grown much thicker in their short time here. The only other time he was around this many people was when he was at a corporate ball or party. At business events, people were pretty tame--save for the few who have one too many drinks. His head wanted to explode. There was too much stimuli around him.

He accidentally bumped into some kind of small object, almost causing him to stumble and fall.

"Good morning sir!" A small voice squeaked from below his line of vision.

He looked down to see the object he'd bumped up was none other than a tiny young girl with bright red hair. She was wearing dirty clothes and had huge bags under her eyes. Despite her appearance, she looked quite cheery.

"Hi there," he said with a smile.

"Do you have any spare change?" She asked. Her eyes drifted to the ground, a frown spreading across her sweet face. "I'm very hungry. I haven't eaten in a whole day."

A pang of sympathy shot through Lucas's heart. No little girl should have to feel like this.

He reached into his pants pocket for his wallet, his eyes widening when he realized it was empty. Those bastards took his wallet! He gritted his teeth, knowing there was nothing he could do about it.

"Unfortunately," he said, taking his hand out of his pocket, "I don't have my wallet on me right now. I'm sorry."

She glanced up to meet his gaze. The brightness had completely faded from the girl's eyes.

"That's okay mister, I understand. Thanks anyway." Disappointment laced her tone. She turned heel and ran off into the opposite direction.

"Wai-" he reached his hand out limply, the word fading as she blended into the crowd.

Guilt ate away at him. He wanted to call her back over to see if he could somehow get someone else to help her, but she was already long gone.

Sighing, he asked the owner of a taiyaki stand where their local library was. The jolly old man pointed him in the right direction, and Lucas was on his way.

After a few minutes of walking, Lucas finally arrived at a huge, antique looking white building with a faded bronze dome on top. A smiling book statue stood at the front of the building. His heart began to thump wildly in his chest. It had been so long since he'd seen a library!

He sped into the library, hoping his giddiness wouldn't freak anyone out.

They say books have the power to take over your mind. Once you open a book, you're completely absorbed, unable to think about anything else until you read its contents from end to end.

Lucas rediscovered that phenomenon today.

Through blurred, squinty vision, he managed to make out a yellow, dimming sky outside. He couldn't fathom how he managed to plough straight through two works of fiction about people surviving in the woods plus half of a wilderness survival guide. It just goes to show the power of a good book.

He stretched in his chair, wincing as cramp shot through his back. Although he'd been there for hours, his back was still recovering from his rough night sleep. A yawn parted his lips as if to further demonstrate his fatigue. It was getting late. He should probably find his new companion before it got too dark outside.

"I guess I should put this stuff back first." He mumbled, walking into the stacks. He couldn't help but smile to himself. It was just so peaceful in here. This literary retreat was the perfect start to his nomadic life. Unfortunately, they would have to continue roughing it since his cash was taken from him. For now, the comforting atmosphere of the library soothed his concerns. He'd definitely have to come back tomorrow.

His bliss was interrupted by the loud bang of the library doors flinging open. Lucas jumped at the sudden noise, dropping two of his books to the ground. Many of the other patrons looked up irritably from their books. He turned irritatedly to see none other than Natsumi, huffing and panting and looking like she'd just run an entire marathon.

"Natsumi?" He said quietly, raising an eyebrow.

Said woman spotted him and charged over at full speed. An overloaded backpack on her back jingled behind her, creating quite the stir. An angry librarian hissed at the sudden change in the environment. All the customers around him had first class scowls on their faces. He wanted to shrink away.

Without a word, she snatched him by the arm and charged out of the building.

"Wait! I accidentally took this book!" He protested frantically as the library censored screeched madly behind them.

"No time for that!" She shouted back.

Happy ran out of no where beside them.

"Why are we running?!" He questioned. A quick glance behind them made him wish he had never even asked the question.

There was a building on fire.

He blinked to make sure his eyes hadn't deceived him. To his dismay, he really had seen that correctly. An entire building was billowing smoke into the air. Angry, fearful and confused towns people were running every which direction, trying to figure out what to do about the situation. Several men were operating a low grade fire truck in an attempt to control the fire.

He turned away from the scene to make sure he didn't fall on his face in their attempt to escape. He wasn't quite sure why they needed to run, but if everyone else is panicking, you panic and run too. Plus, he was kind of afraid of the answer.

"Stop those two!" A gruff voice yelled behind them.

"Eh?!" Lucas gasped, glancing to Natsumi. "What did you-"

"No time for questions I said!" Natsumi said, running even faster.

So you admit to playing a part in this madness?! Lucas thought, eyes bulging wildly as he sped up.

The sound of feet thundering behind them alerted him to the fact that they were now being chased by an angry mob. He wanted to cry. What in the world did he even do to deserve this?

The town's quaint, non-ignited buildings flew by as they ran. Just ahead, he could see the wilderness starting up again. They were coming up on the edge of the town opposite of where they'd entered. He smiled, praying that they'd stop chasing him once they exited town. His under used legs were beginning to cry for mercy. He needed to stop running, and fast.

As they crossed the boundary between town and wilderness, the mob continued to run after them. He silently cursed everything as he dodged trees, rocks and debris. These people were crazy to keep following them in these conditions.

How can we get out of this? Think, Lucas, think... He glanced around as they ran through, almost tripping several times from multitasking. He glanced over his shoulder, realizing that about half of the crowd had stopped chasing them. A lightbulb flashed in his head.

"Follow me!" He said, grabbing her by the hand. They ran in zigzag lines through the trees, constantly switching their direction. The golden sky was growing darker by the second, making this task very difficult. Fortunately, it helped to inhibit remainder of their pursuers. Their rallying cry roared in the distance. Although the forest was slowing them, they certainly wouldn't give up so easily.

His eyes darted through the dimly lit forest, looking for anything that might help them. Just ahead, the trees all seemed to disappear. He swore, realizing they had arrived at a cliff. He must've done something to piss the universe off. They skidded to a stop at the cliff's edge.

"What now?" The pink haired woman asked.

There was a huge rock in front of the cliff. It was just large enough to conceal their presence as long as they didn't walk around the rock. It was their only choice.

"Quick, behind here!" Lucas whispered loudly, ducking behind the huge rock.

Moments later the heavy footsteps came to a halt behind them. Every crunch of grass from under them and escaped breath from the trio drove his nerves up a cliff. All he wanted was to stop breathing. They'll certainly find them if he didn't.

"They must've jumped over the fucking cliff, sneaky hooligans." The man who initially yelled after them said angrily.

The crowd groaned. A pitch fork sailed over the cliff just feet away from the hiding trio. Lucas's heart was threatening to leap out of its cage.

"Come on, we need to go help put out the fire." A woman said.

Lucas sighed in relief as the crunching grass faded from their ears.

After a small moment of silence, he looked to the pink haired girl next to him incredulously. "Is now the time for questions?" He asked sarcastically. "What did you do?"

"Well..." she began, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. "This grilled fish stand owner was showing me this crazy method of flame grilling fish right?"

"Uh huh..."

"And I was just so excited I slammed my hands onto the grill handles and the fire just went whoosh-"

"Whoosh?" He repeated.

"Yeah it just kinda went whoosh--I don't know how else to describe it--and it spread really quickly too. It must've been a gas fire or there must've been some kinda flammable liquid on the ground around his stand --but anyways in a flash it got onto the building behind it as well as the stands around it and yeah. Whoosh."

Lucas's mouth opened and closed repeatedly as his brain struggled to find the correct response to her statement. "I leave you alone for a couple hours-"

"You've been gone the whole day." Natsumi interrupted.

"Yeah, about 12 hours." Happy said, crawling into Natsumi's lap. That had to be an exaggeration.

Lucas sighed. "If this is what you do when I disappear for like 12 hours--if that--what did you do before you found me? Do you just go place to place setting shit on fire?"

"Why do you think I'm a fugitive?" She said with a smirk.

Lucas's jaw dropped. "Oh my gosh I'm traveling with an insane person." He leaned his head against the rock, a look of regret spreading across his face.

"I'm not insane!" Natsumi retorted. "A pyromaniac, yes. But insane is too far."

"Did you just casually admit to being a pyromaniac?" Lucas asked slowly, sitting up.

"Nothing wrong with liking fire." She replied nonchalantly. "I can start a fire faster than you can blink. In fact, my secret talent is starting a fire with one rock instead of two. Wanna see?"

"No I don't want to see!" Lucas shouted loudly. The excited sparkle in her eye confirmed she was a world class delinquent. Staying with someone this reckless was a sure fire way to head towards disaster. If he stayed with her any longer, his father would probably locate him in a heartbeat. "Look, where's the next town? I need to get out of here."

"You want to leave even though I saved your ass from the bandits?" Natsumi asked, suddenly annoyed. Lucas shrugged. She rose to a stand. "Fine. Be that way. But I have no reason to tell you where the town then."

"Fine!" Lucas said, jumping up from his seat on the ground.

Natsumi stuck her tongue out and gave him the finger before storming off. Happy kicked her back legs in the dirt as if she were burying trash and ran off after her owner.

Now, all was quiet. Lucas's facial expression softened slightly. He stared at the ground. At that moment, the dirt seemed very interesting. For some reason, he felt really bad about what he said.

He cleared his thoughts. This was for the best. He could survive on his own. Plus, he managed to accidentally snag the wilderness guide from the library. If she could live on the run, surely he could too. He would work his way into a new life in one of the next towns, start a family, and forget about his past prior to now. It was the perfect plan. He only wished he had grabbed a map from the library like he was supposed to.

Looks like their partnership didn't last too long. What will happen next? Can Lucas survive in the woods on his own? Drop a review please! I actually typed this entire chapter on the road back to school today. Also, I'm starting school Monday, so although I'll get my chapters up in a reasonable time based on my schedule, weekly updates may not be feasible anymore. I'll try my best for you guys!


	5. Alone

Last time…

 _"Did you just casually admit to being a pyromaniac?" Lucas asked slowly, sitting up._

 _"Nothing wrong with liking fire." She replied nonchalantly. "I can start a fire faster than you can blink. In fact, my secret talent is starting a fire with one rock instead of two. Wanna see?"_

 _"No I don't want to see!" Lucas shouted loudly. The excited sparkle in her eye confirmed she was a world class delinquent. Staying with someone this reckless was a sure fire way to head towards disaster. If he stayed with her any longer, his father would probably locate him in a heartbeat. "Look, where's the next town? I need to get out of here."_

 _"You want to leave even though I saved your ass from the bandits?" Natsumi asked, suddenly annoyed. Lucas shrugged. She rose to a stand. "Fine. Be that way. But I have no reason to tell you where the town then."_

 _"Fine!" Lucas said, jumping up from his seat on the ground._

 _Natsumi stuck her tongue out and gave him the finger before storming off. Happy kicked her back legs in the dirt as if she were burying trash and ran off after her owner._

 _Now, all was quiet. Lucas's facial expression softened slightly. He stared at the ground. At that moment, the dirt seemed very interesting. For some reason, he felt really bad about what he said._

 _He cleared his thoughts. This was for the best. He could survive on his own. Plus, he managed to accidentally snag the wilderness guide from the library. If she could live on the run, surely he could too. He would work his way into a new life in one of the next towns, start a family, and forget about his past prior to now. It was the perfect plan. He only wished he had grabbed a map from the library like he was supposed to._

* * *

Chapter 5: Alone.

Four days before…

Suppetto, the Heartfilia's main maid, took shelter in the kitchen of the Heartfilia Manor, sweeping aimlessly at the black and white tile floor. Mr. Heartfilia had been in a tizzy since he arrived home. As a result, any staff on duty had long since made themselves unavailable, cowering in fear of the enraged man. No one knew what had gone wrong in his life, but they wanted to be as far away from it as possible.

The sounds of breaking glass and chairs colliding against the walls erupted, ringing throughout the vast walls of the mansion. Supetto flinched, gripping the broom in her hand tightly. Her only hunch was that it had something to do with the strong willed Lucas refusing marriage proposals.

She looked to the hallway to see two huge bodyguards—Jeremy and Matthew, if she recalled correctly—as well as one of the Heartfilia's many limo drivers being escorted out of the premises by Lucas's red haired body guard.

The broom in her hand fell to the ground as realization came over her. This couldn't be.

"All staff, in my office, NOW!" Jude's voice boomed over the intercom speakers, shaking the devices.

Reluctantly, Supetto adjusted her apron before heading to her employer's office on the fourth floor of the mansion.

Minutes later, the entire staff of the Heartfilia manor was gather inside of Mr. Heartfilia's gigantic office. The vast space no longer seemed so vast, with the staff taking up over half of the space and Mr. Heartfilia's dangerous aura filling the other.

Suppetto sucked in a small breath, scared to hear the news he was bound to deliver.

"Staff," he began, "Unfortunately, my son Lucas has been kidnapped."

An audible gasped filled the room. Suppetto's legs began to shake.

"Starting this instant, all of you are charged with helping me find my son and the people who did this." He took a steady breath before continuing. "If any of you know anything, please tell me now. If it comes out later you withheld information, you _will_ be fired."

He gripped his desk tightly. The crowd began to whisper quietly. The older man looked up toward the crowd dangerously, hushing them with a simple look.

"I already let the three who negligently allowed him to slip through their fingers go." He managed through gritted teeth. "So, find my son. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Mr. Heartfilia-sama." The staff replied in unison.

Without another word, the staff all left the elder Heartfilia to himself. Once they were outside however, whispered and rumors began spreading like wildfire.

-.-.-

Present day

Suppetto sighed as she dusted Lucas's dark and empty room. Four days had passed since his initial disappearance. Now it was night time, and soon he will have been gone for five days. Despite posting "missing" posters with Lucas's sweet face plastered on them everywhere, as well as countless "wanted" posters with the hefty reward for information plastered on them, no word had come in on the young heir's whereabouts. Mr. Heartfilia was firing the quote "suspicious" people left and right, but that was doing nothing but emptying the gigantic mansion further.

"Kami-sama," she whispered, taking a break from her task, "Please keep Master Lucas safe and sound."

* * *

Miles away…

Lucas concentrated on setting up a makeshift shelter for the night. Thanks to the adventures of George Allister, the hero of the adventure book he 'borrowed' from the library, he managed to start a fire for the night. This accomplishment fueled his fruitless search for fallen branches hefty enough to set up against the cliff wall he'd built his fire by.

He walked a little deeper into the woods, a mangled stick in hand in case anything jumped out at him. Thankfully, after just a minute of walking, he found some long, fallen sticks that would have to do. The branches were long enough to give him ample room to stand and shelter his tiny fire, but thin enough to where it was not too hard to lift.

Carefully, Lucas lugged each branch from the sight of the dead tree, making six trips back and forth total. He managed to tie the six branches together using some discarded string like material he'd found in the woods.

With an audible groan, he sat the makeshift wall against the rock wall. It scooted down slightly, causing him to panic. Thankfully, it did not move much more after that.

Sweating, he eyed it to make sure it would not move further and collapse on him. After a long moment, he smiled triumphantly. This wilderness thing was a piece of cake.

Satisfied with his handiwork, he dragged the sleeping bag Natsumi had neglected to take with her under the structure and settled into his shelter. Tomorrow, he'd focus on finding water and getting to a new town.

-.-.-

He tossed and turned in the sleeping bag, constantly being woken up by the noises of the of forest dwellers. Through squinted vision, he looked to his fire, dismayed to see it had long since gone out.

Lucas sat up angrily, searching around with his hand for the stones he'd used to create it in the first place. As his eyes adjusted to being fully open again, he realized that the light outside his shelter was transforming from nonexistent to a dark blue, signaling in the morning.

Rather than restarting his fire, he sat up against the wall behind him, opting to rest his eyes for a few more minutes until the sun came up further.

Before he knew it, the birds were sounding loudly outside and light was streaming into his shelter. He yawned, stretching his arms ever so slightly.

He grabbed his book, his sleeping bag and his mangled stick. It was time to find some water—and the next town if possible.

"First," He mumbled to himself, "It would probably be best to climb to the highest point possible. Yes, that would be smart."

He followed the slope of the land, trying to find a way to the top of the wall he'd slept next to. The forest surrounding him was thick as ever. He kept close to the wall in order to avoid straying too far from his goal. As he continued onward, the slope upwards became steeper and steeper, and he found himself struggling to go up the hill.

Just as his legs were giving out, a small blue bird fluttered by his head as he walked, chirping happily.

He paused in his tracks, enjoying its sweet sounds.

"Hey little guy." He said, watching as it fluttered around him. He felt like snow white. "Wanna come up the hill with me?"

The bird paused it's chirping, as if considering his question. After a brief moment, it began again. Lucas smiled.

"Cool."

The two ventured up the slope, a newfound energy surging through the young blond. Thankfully, he managed to make it to the top of the hill. He walked out of the trees and over to the clear area he was sure towered over where he slept last night.

"Woah." He gasped, looking out into the distance.

Below him, trees spanned for miles on end. Not too far down to the west, he could make out a stream. An even further out in the same direction, he could make out the shape of a clump of buildings, meaning it was probably a town. His eyes lit up in excitement.

If he could just make it to the stream, he could refuel and gain enough energy to make it to that town.

With newfound determination, he headed down the hill. As he made his ways through the trees, he came across the shelter he'd set up last night. He bid it goodbye and continued westward. He was going to survive this mess on his own and get away from his old life.

"You'll start over with me, right little bird?" He asked, glancing to his new companion.

The bird chirped happily, perching itself on his shoulder.

"No forced marriages. No business meetings. Just me and you in a new place. Sounds like a plan."

The two continued in the direction of the stream. Lucas could only hope he was going the right way. The sun was beaming down on his head, causing him to sweat. Even still, Lucas couldn't help but chat away with his forest friend about all he'd been through. No one ever listened to him complain before, so this was very therapeutic—even if his friend couldn't talk back.

They went on like this for hours. As he ventured, he found himself growing more and more tired by the second. Despite spotting a stream from his high vantage point hours ago, he still had not reached its edge. The sun had changed position drastically, and it was only a matter of time before nightfall arrived once again. Meanwhile, his mouth was growing dry and his stomach was beginning to rumble. Not good.

His bird companion chirped on, as if encouraging him to keep going.

"I'd kill for some food right now…" He sighed, rubbing his growling stomach.

That's when a thought hit him. Maybe he could eat this bird…

His eyes glinted evilly as he gripped the stick in his hand tightly. The bird, noticing the sudden change in his demeanor, stopped chirping abruptly. It cocked its head to the side, as if confused. Without warning, Lucas swung his arm toward the bird. Effortlessly, it dodged his slow blow and flew high into the sky, leaving him truly and totally alone.

"Wait!" He cried as it grew smaller and smaller in the sky. "Come back! I'm sorry!"

He sighed and sunk down onto the ground. This wilderness life was not a piece of cake after all. So much for the adventures of George Allister.

He clasped his hand over his mouth in shock, realizing he'd spent the entire day talking to a bird.

"Oh my goodness, I'm going insane." He said, reeling from his realization.

He was going to die in the wilderness all by himself. He hadn't eaten in over 24 hours. He couldn't even remember when the last time he had water was. It had to have been when he was in town with Natsumi.

"Natsumi?" He said aloud. He'd forgotten all about her.

Was any of this even real? Did he really meet a pink haired pyro and a talking dog? Did he really spend the last several hours with a bird? Did he actually spot a stream down below, or was it a mirage?

Suddenly, his world began to spin once more and he was feeling quite nauseous. If he did meet Natsumi, he was regretting pissing her off very strongly right now.

Quiet settled in around him, save for the sound of some sort of rushing in the distance to his left.

He perked up again. "Rushing… water?!" He exclaimed, bounding through the foliage. Sure enough, hidden behind the thick trees was the very stream he'd spotted earlier that day.

"Thank goodness!" He cried, running to the water.

The stream was crystal clear and not moving too fast. Truly a beautiful sight for sore eyes.

He collapsed on the bank, splashing the water into the air like a child. The cool water droplets soothed his sweating skin. He laughed at the feeling. Nothing could ruin this moment for him.

After he was done playing in the water, he cupped his hands and dipped them into the current, preparing to sooth his aching throat. He brought his hands out of the water, drops splashing as the ran over the sides of his hands and out of the cracks between his fingers. As his hands almost touched his lips, he unclasped them suddenly, a look of disdain creeping across his face.

The water hit the ground with a splatter, just like his hopes.

You can't drink untreated water.

"No…" He whispered, his world beginning to crash in on him once again.

He laid down on his back and began flipping through the pages of George Allister furiously, not caring that his fingers were still a bit damp. The pages dampened with finger markings, but no matter how many times he thumbed through, he couldn't find a place where George found a solution to purifying strange water.

"No… no, no!" He cried angrily.

Lucas tossed the book behind him, not caring where it landed. He was so close to salvation, yet so, so far.

He angrily gripped the loose dirt of the bank, disappointment setting in.

He would have to keep trying, using his intuition alone.

* * *

End scene! Hi guys, I know I've been out for a long while and I'd like to apologize. This semester was really crazy for me, and unfortunately another one is right around the corner. I thank you all for being understanding, and I'll try to have another chapter out as soon as I can! I just really wanted to get this published before my new year hit. So, happy new year to all of you! I hope it's everything you want it to be.

P.S. Check out my other active story, Super Secret Agent, Detective Lucy Heartfilia. An update is out for it as well.

P.S.S. I may change my name, but we'll see.

Happy new year!

Love,

AF1-chan


	6. Rumble Through the Jungle

_Last time…_

 _He perked up again. "Rushing… water?!" He exclaimed, bounding through the foliage. Sure enough, hidden behind the thick trees was the very stream he'd spotted earlier that day._

" _Thank goodness!" He cried, running to the water._

 _The stream was crystal clear and not moving too fast. Truly a beautiful sight for sore eyes._

 _He collapsed on the bank, splashing the water into the air like a child. The cool water droplets soothed his sweating skin. He laughed at the feeling. Nothing could ruin this moment for him._

 _After he was done playing in the water, he cupped his hands and dipped them into the current, preparing to sooth his aching throat. He brought his hands out of the water, drops splashing as the ran over the sides of his hands and out of the cracks between his fingers. As his hands almost touched his lips, he unclasped them suddenly, a look of disdain creeping across his face._

 _The water hit the ground with a splatter, just like his hopes._

 _You can't drink untreated water._

" _No…" He whispered, his world beginning to crash in on him once again._

 _He laid down on his back and began flipping through the pages of George Allister furiously, not caring that his fingers were still a bit damp. The pages dampened with finger markings, but no matter how many times he thumbed through, he couldn't find a place where George found a solution to purifying strange water._

" _No… no, no!" He cried angrily._

 _Lucas tossed the book behind him, not caring where it landed. He was so close to salvation, yet so, so far._

 _He angrily gripped the loose dirt of the bank, disappointment setting in._

 _He would have to keep trying, using his intuition alone._

* * *

Wanted Chapter 6: Rumble Through The Jungle

Lucas sat cross legged next to the stream, deep in thought—or at least as much thought as his tired mind could muster. His first plan of action was, well, to develop a plan of action. He managed to find some string lying around to tie his shelter, so maybe he could find something else lying around that could let him collect and boil water.

Slowly but surely, he gathered his resolve and began heading west along the bank of the river. The water sparkled with the sun, so shiny and clear he was almost tempted to drink it anyway.

He paused and stared at his reflection in the crystalline water. He could barely decipher what he looked like through the jiggling of water, but from what he could tell, he looked _rough_. Really rough. His normally slicked back golden locks were matted and wiry on his head. Deep bags emerged under his eyes and there was even a spot of dirt on his face. The sudden revelation of his appearance made him feel even shittier.

 _If I could just get something to drink_ , Lucas thought, leaning toward the water, _I'd feel a bit better_.

His face was now inches from the cool stream. A sudden splash sent water shooting towards his face.

Lucas jumped back, both alarmed by the splash and shocked by what he was about to do.

He looked down in stupor to find a large, ugly toad jumping along the most shallow part of the water. A mini pool of brown was left in each place the toad touched as traveled through the water. Disgusting.

Disheartened by the clear evidence the water wasn't clean, he shook the thought of drinking away and kept moving.

Hours passed by with no sign of anything that could retain water for boiling. Even worse, like clockwork, the sun was beginning to set again. He was far from last night's camp, running on an empty stomach and completely dehydrated. The stream seemed to run on for forever, and whatever town he thought he spotted earlier was clearly a work of fiction.

Sighing, Lucas decided that he had had enough walking for today. Too exhausted to attempt to build another makeshift shelter, he pulled out his sleeping bag, headed for the nearest tree and called it a night.

-.-.-

The next morning, Lucas felt worse than ever. His eyes crept open painfully, allowing the scenery to flood his world. The birds chirped loudly, the trees rustled with the wind, and the stream trickled lightly nearby. As his senses fully adjusted to the world around him, he realized he was still alone, dehydrated and hungry.

He struggled to his feet, deciding that it would be best to keep moving than to just sit around. The city he spotted had to be nearby at this point.

He continued along the grassy path, ignoring the tantalizing sound of running water. The grass crunched beneath his feet, the sound reminiscent of crisp apples.

His stomach growled. Loudly.

As if in response, the bushes to his left began to growl right back. Lucas froze in terror.

A long silence settled the air, the sounds of the forest seemingly disappearing.

In a flash, the bushes rustled violently, producing a very feral looking wolf. It snarled at Lucas, digging its paws into the ground and wagging its tail slowly—dangerously.

"Nice…doggie…" Lucas muttered, backing away slowly.

The wolf's growl deepened, sending a shiver down Lucas's spine.

"I mean wolf!" He said quickly, continuing to step away. "Very nice wolf. I'm just going to… get out of your hair." He laughed awkwardly as the wolf's "scowl" seemed to increase tenfold. "Oh fuck."

Lucas bolted from the area as fast as he could, the wolf trailing right behind him. He ran away from the clear bank of the stream and into the trees, hurdling over huge rocks and logs. He darted in a zig zag pattern in an attempt to lose the animal, the effort made difficult by the cluttered forest floor. Regardless of whether or not the pattern was actually helping, he refused to look back and find out.

The wolf snarled behind him, making it painfully clear he had not been shaken. He glanced around frantically. Nothing seemed to be of any use to him right now. In fact, the heavy presence of trees only made the disorientation worse.

Of all the ways he could die in these woods, why did it have to be being eaten?!

Lucas's eyes lit up as a tree with low lying branches that split off close to the ground came into view. He didn't have much time, but if he could quickly climb it, he'd be safe for a while.

He swerved to the left violently, causing the wolf behind him to trip on its own feet and skid into the base of a tree. Lucas used the opportunity to ramp up the pace and head straight for the tree.

He grabs for the lowest branch, a frail but thick branch that was just inches above his head. As he pulled on it with his weight, it snapped, sending him back to the ground. Thankfully, he was able to land on his feet since the drop was so shallow.

He looked back at the wolf, which was now stumbling to its feet.

"Fuck!" He cursed, grabbing the remaining branch in reach.

He pulled himself up again. The branch squeaked under his weight, but held itself together long enough for him to grab onto a thicker branch above that one and place his foot in the fork of the tree. As he shimmied onto that thick branch, the wolf slammed into the bottom of the tree. It growled wildly and snapped as his hanging feet. Although frightened, he held onto the branch for dear life.

With the last bit of his strength, he managed to climb onto a branch thick enough to comfortably sit on. He looked down at the wolf, which was now circling the base of the tree. He sighed in relief. Although he was safe for now, it didn't appear to be losing interest anytime soon.

Lucas's stomach growled loudly, reminding him he was still starving and thirsty. He rested his head against the trunk of the tree, praying the animal would go away soon.

Without warning, a rock soared through the air below, hitting the feral animal on the head. It let out a high pitched yipe uncharacteristic of its scary stature and turned slowly to take on this new opponent. Lucas jolted to life, his eyes slowly shifting toward the direction the rock had come from. When he saw the perpetrator, his jaw dropped to the ground. It was an old woman. Dressed in a long purple dress and brown cardigan with a yellow headscarf, the old woman didn't appear to be much of a threat to anyone. Despite her looks, she stared down the menacing wolf viciously, juggling rocks loosely in her hand. The animal growled. She growled right back.

Lucas wiped his eyes to be sure this was actually happening and not a delusion set in by his immanent death. When the world came back into view, the surreal scene still stood. Old woman versus rabid forest animal. It was like a fairy tale gone wrong.

"Get on out of here!" The woman shouted, a country twang beneath her raspy old voice.

She chucked another rock at the wolf with lightning speed and precision, hitting it squarely on the head. It yelped in pain and darted away as fast as it could go, leaving Lucas alone with the older woman. An odd air of calm washed over Lucas, despite his tumultuous experience.

"Hey sonny," she said sweetly, walking toward tree. "What's your name?"

He froze, his brain stumbling at her sudden question. Hell, it'd been so long since he spoke to someone he almost forgot his name.

"Lucas." He said finally.

"Well Lucas," the old woman said, "You look tired. Why not come rest at my cottage? I'll fix ya a nice meal."

He hesitated for a moment, not sure of her intentions. However, a healthy growl from his stomach answered the question for him. "Okay." He said quietly.

He looked left and right, realizing now he would have to get down from the tree.

"I'm kind of stuck." He said.

The old woman peered up at him, squinting her eyes.

"Seems like it." She said finally. "You've never climbed a tree before?"

"No…" He replied, blushing from embarrassment.

"My goodness." The old woman sighed. "Try putting your foot down on that branch just below you."

Lucas did as he was told, though not committing his weight fully to the branch. He put his weight on it slowly, the branch holding firm as the pressure increased. He shifted his body to where his feet were on the lower branch, all the while keeping his arms locked on the branch he'd shimmied down from. Once his feet were planted firmly on the branch, he leaned away from the upper one and braced himself on the tree trunk. Unfortunately, now he was really stuck. The two branches he'd climbed to get to this one were significantly thinner and weaker.

"Now what?" He asked, clinging to the tree trunk.

"Just make your way down to the next one, slowly." She replied.

"That doesn't help much…" Lucas said with a sweatdrop.

He eased his foot off of his current position and made his way to the branch below. As his foot touched the branch, he felt his heart beat quicken. He tried to remain calm as he put his foot onto the branch completely. As he moved his other foot onto the new branch, a sickening creaking noise emanated from below him. His breathing stopped completely. He was now frozen with fear. If he could just reach the small dip in the actual trunk below, he'd be able to get some proper footing.

"Come on, you've got this!" The old woman cheered.

Lucas looked at her incredulously. This was not in the adventure book.

Steeling himself for the next step, Lucas inhaled a huge breath. He exhaled slowly, building his confidence every second. Grasping the trunk tightly, he removed his left foot from the new tree branch and eased it into the dip in the trunk. The shift in weight caused the branch his right foot was resting on to snap completely.

"Sh-" He began, his voice catching in his throat.

The leg that had been safely tucked within the nook of the tree slipped from the sudden force, sending him tumbling toward the grown. He watched in horror as his arms fell away from the thick tree trunk and the leafy canopy shifted into his view. The leaves grew more distant for every second he fell until he collided harshly with the dirt, knocking the wind out of his body.

"My goodness!" The old woman cried, rushing toward him as quickly as he could.

Lucas groaned and turned onto his side, watching through squinted vision as the old lady stopped in front of him.

"Oh my… are you okay?" She asked, prodding him with her cane.

It took him a moment to gather his thoughts and his words.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine." He replied, sitting up. A sharp pain shot through his left leg and back, causing him to wince.

"No, no, you must've hurt something from that fall." She said, feeling his right leg.

He watched calmly as she poked him, though he felt no extra pain—until she moved to his left leg.

He grimaced at her soft touch.

"Oh dear." She said, shaking her head. "It's probably sprained…"

"Sprained?!" Lucas gasped, the gravity of her words settling in. "So what am I supposed to do?" His stomach growled loudly, sending a secondary pain through his body. He groaned.

The old woman looked around for a second, as if worried someone would see her. She then reached into her back pocket and pulled out a vile. Lucas raised an eyebrow. Its lime green contents swished around in conjunction with her hand movements.

"I'm just going to poor a little bit of this on your ankle," she began, unscrewing the cap. "It should help you feel better until you get back to my place."

"W-Wait-" Lucas protested.

Before he could react, the liquid was all over his ankle and foot. An instant sense of relief washed over him. He blinked at her, surprised.

"What is that…?" He asked.

"Some special herbs found in these parts." She replied. "Now, let's get you patched up."

She extended her hand to him. Hesitantly, he took her hand and pulled himself to his feet. He dusted off his pants. Although his back was still a little sore, he was grateful the pain in his ankle was gone.

"Now, follow me." The old woman said, hobbling off.

Seeing as this was his opportunity out of the forest, he hurried after her. He ignored the subtle limp in his walk, the dry taste in his mouth and the rumbling of his tummy. Instead, he thanked the man upstairs for this shocking blessing. It was so… ironic that she appeared right as he was in grave danger. Considering he was now both a missing person and an arson's accomplice, he was playing with fire trusting strangers. Hopefully she isn't the devil in disguise.

* * *

Chapter 6 is complete! I hope it was worth the wait. Lots of questions were raised toward the end of this chapter, and next chapter will surely be a doozy. Until then, I'm off!

Love, Af1-chan


	7. Days of Serenity

_Last time…_

 _She extended her hand to him. Hesitantly, he took her hand and pulled himself to his feet. He dusted off his pants. Although his back was still a little sore, he was grateful the pain in his ankle was gone._

" _Now, follow me." The old woman said, hobbling off._

 _Seeing as this was his opportunity out of the forest, he hurried after her. He ignored the subtle limp in his walk, the dry taste in his mouth and the rumbling of his tummy. Instead, he thanked the man upstairs for this shocking blessing. It was so… ironic that she appeared right as he was in grave danger. Considering he was now both a missing person and an arson's accomplice, he was playing with fire trusting strangers. Hopefully she isn't the devil in disguise._

Wanted Chapter 7: Days of Serenity

Lucas looked on wearily as the old woman hobbled up the steps of a desolate log cabin. All alone in the middle of the woods and separated from society, the small property was surprisingly well kept. In fact, it was quite quaint—cute even.

This did not make Lucas feel much better about his situation. He was certainly better off here than fending for himself in the forest, but he'd enough horror movies to know a scenario like this could go very wrong _very_ fast.

Once she managed to jingle her door open, the woman turned to find Lucas quite a few feet behind her. She smiled sweetly, motioning for him to come inside.

Lucas blushed as he began to move forward. He felt bad for not being more trusting—especially considering she'd fought off a wild animal for him.

Seeing that he was now moving, the old woman headed inside.

As Lucas crossed the threshold of the home, his jaw dropped. The cabin's wood walls were mostly barren, save for some aging family portraits and a gigantic painting of a tree. The furniture in what he assumed to be the living room was a lumpy purple couch, a wooden rocking chair and a wood coffee table. No TV.

Never in his life would he have imagined such simple dwellings.

"Welcome sonny." The old woman said, drawing him from his stupor. "This is my little cabin away from civilization. You're welcome to stay here until your leg recovers."

Lucas nodded. As if like magic, the pain in his leg began to swell. He winced at the pain, his stance giving at the sudden jab.

"Oh dear!" She cried, hurrying to his side.

She wrapped his arm over her shoulder, though their disproportionate heights made the action significantly awkward. The floor creaked as the two inched their way from the living room through the kitchen, past a bathroom and into the back area of the house where two doors waited.

The old lady opened the left door, revealing a very small, very barren wooden room. There was a small bed with night stand next to it, a skinny wardrobe and a wide dresser with a couple photos on it. There was a tiny, beaten up purple rug on the wooden floor, the only major color pop aside from the bed's quilted purple blanket. Most notably, the room was dark and dusty, as if it'd been devoid of life for years.

Lucas looked to the old woman skeptically.

"Go on, go on." She said, relinquishing his arm.

Lucas sighed as he made his way carefully to the bed. It sunk under his weight.

"Now get some rest dear. I'll be by in the morning."

Lucas nodded. Then she was gone.

Being careful of his leg, he snuggled under the rough covers of the bed. The crickets chirping outside and the shooting pain that came at any point he moved an inch made it impossible to sleep. He couldn't even toss and turn like this.

After staring at the ceiling for what seemed like forever, he began to count sheep, and eventually fell asleep.

-.-.-

Lucas's eyes fluttered open. As the world came into focus, he was shocked to find he was now in his plush, king size bed back at the mansion.

He blinked once, twice, three times to confirm the reality.

He sat up immediately in a panic. Had the old woman turned him in?!

The gigantic doors to his room opened, pouring a stream of white light in from the hallway. Two silhouettes eventually came into focus, with one being his scarlet haired guard, Ezekiel, and the other being his father.

As the two made their way into the room, a wave of terror washed over Lucas. Something in the air felt off, and it wasn't just the fact Ezekiel had traded in his suit for shiny, silver armor. Lucas gripped his silken sheets with all his might as they drew closer and closer. His father loomed over him, a blank expression on his face.

"Lucas." Mr. Heartfilia said gruffly.

"Yes, father?" Lucas responded sheepishly.

"Our expense reports just came in the mail, and would you like to know what I found?" He stooped down to his eye level. "Do you?"

Lucas remained silent.

Mr. Heartfilia pulled a long slip of paper from his pocket. There were lots of red marks throughout the document.

"All of your investments are losing money… Every. Single. One. And as a result of this and your little vacation, our stocks are plummeting! Future investors are flying away from here faster than a deluxe jet!" He gripped the paper into a ball. "All because you can't keep up with responsibility and ran away. Now I have to clean up your mess."

Steam was literally pouring out of his father. Lucas was now shaking in his sheets. He'd just been kidnapped, and this is how his father treats him?

Mr. Heartfilia reeled his arm back, paper in hand. "What do you have to say for yourself?!" He sent his hand flying toward Lucas's face. "Answer me, Lucas!"

-.-.-

 **Day 1**

Lucas jolted up in a cold sweat.

As his vision began to clear, so did his mind. Gone was his angry father and silent guard. Gone was the fancy chandelier that hung over his bed, the grandiose dresser, patterned wallpaper and fully furnished room. His fancy dwelling was now replaced by a simple room in a log cabin in the middle of nowhere.

It was just a nightmare.

Lucas laughed quietly to himself. What a scary dream. The fact that it felt so real was just hilarious. Of course it was all a stupid dream. He was still on the run after his kidnapping. Plus, he never made such bad investments, but that was an entirely separate story.

The old woman hobbled into the room, knocking on the door frame to signal her presence.

"Rise and shine!" She declared. Her cheery face quickly turned into one of concern. "Oh no dear, you're sweating! Let me grab you some water."

Just like that, she was gone again.

Lucas looked around the barren room for anything to fixate on. His eyes finally landed on a picture frame by the bed. He grabbed it off the table to get a better look.

The picture featured a large family of eight people. In the middle stood an older woman with long brown hair. After a few seconds, he realized she had to be the old woman who owned the cabin. On her right side was a blonde woman and a rather buff, balding man. A chunky little boy with black hair and piercing blue eyes played with toys at their feet. The other side of the woman featured a brunette, a much scrawnier man with orange hair and two little orange haired, green eyed girls. They all looked so happy.

"That's my family." The old woman said as she entered the room.

Lucas put the photo down in embarrassment. "Sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"No harm done, young one." She smiled. "They all live in the big city. My kids are getting old as me, and my grandkids are all grown now. Sometimes my grandson still comes to see me, but it's very, very rare."

"Rare? No one visits you?" Lucas asked.

She smiled sadly. "I've gotten used to living here on my own, but it's nice to have a little company sometimes."

She placed the water down on the nightstand and took a seat at the edge of the bed.

"Oh wow, that's so sad…" Lucas said, trailing off.

"What's your name again, sweetie?" She asked.

"It's Lucas." He responded.

"Lucas?" She repeated, dumbfounded.

He closed his eyes tightly, halfway expecting her to recognize him from some sort of poster his father was surely putting up.

"That was my husband's name." She responded finally. "What a crazy coincidence."

Lucas opened his eyes to find the old woman smiling genuinely.

"Well Lucas, I'll give you the day off. I'll be back with some breakfast, and ice for your leg."

"Day off?" Lucas repeated.

Without another word, the woman retreated from the room.

Lucas plopped back down on his back, the bed creaking from the force. He looked out the window to see a bush filled field with lots of berries growing. Beyond the bushes were several fruit trees. He couldn't help but smile as he noticed the beautiful butterflies flitting around the window.

* * *

Natsumi POV

Several towns away, Natsumi and Happy were plotting their next scheme outside of a local restaurant. The tantalizing smell of barbecue saturated the air around them. The two of them were practically drooling.

Natsumi peered into a window of the restaurant, taking in the sights and sounds below. Seeing as the actual dining area was built below ground, she had an aerial view of the entire joint. Customers inside happily chomped down on barbecue chicken, sauce covered ribs, grilled burgers, smoked fish, and much, much more. Natsumi's eyes lit up with gluttony.

"Now, Happy, you know what to do…" She said, a mischievous grin forming on her face.

"Aye." Happy responded, an equally mischievous look forming on her face.

The blue dog trotted over the front of the restaurant and down its steps. She sat outside the door and whimpered with all her might.

Seconds later, a passing waiter inside the restaurant came to the dog's aid.

"What's all this whimpering?" The waiter looked down. "Oh, a dog! And it's blue!" The waiter looked around frantically. "Hey, guys! Come look at this blue dog! Boss, what should I do?"

As expected, the vast majority of the restaurant's patrons got up to see the mysterious blue animal. Happy barked cheerfully and wagged her tail.

Natsumi's eyes lit up with greed. She darted out of the bushes and over to the restaurant windows with ninja like precision. She quickly found an easily openable one and hopped into the establishment. Every customer's food was now left unattended. She cackled maniacally in her own head.

She used a plastic sack to swipe all sorts of food off of several tables, all the while listening in to the chatter of the patron's and Happy's barking. Everything was going smoothly.

Happy's barks were growing much louder, signaling it was time for Natsumi to escape. She used her ninja like skills to jump out of the restaurant, landing outside with a triumphant tumble.

Back with Happy, she was relishing in the petting and coos of attention. Natsumi's bird signal snapped her back to reality. With a final wag of the tail, she scampered off into the bushes.

"That was so odd." The waiter who'd discovered Happy remarked.

"Oh my gosh, my food is gone!" A customer cried from inside the restaurant.

The customers and wait staff outside scrambled back in to find all of the food on the tables was gone.

Natsumi and Happy snickered at the distant cries of indignation. The two headed for the town's city limits, another day of food scored.

As Natsumi walked boldly forward, Happy couldn't help but notice the obscure "Missing Boy" posters set up on the outskirts of town. They were pretty far away so she couldn't see the face on them, but they really bothered her. She looked up to see if her companion noticed them, but she was clearly in a world of her own.

After a little bit of walking, the two of them reached the camp they'd set up at a tree just outside of the town. The two tore into the food they scored, nearly half of it gone within the first fifteen minutes. It'd been awhile since they'd eaten so well.

"Ya know," Happy said between chews, "Something's been bothering me."

"What is it?" Natsumi asked, putting her rib down. "Is it your tummy? Do you have fleas?" She pulled at the dog's ear and began to examine it.

"No!" Happy protested, tugging away from her. "I've been thinking about that weird blond guy."

"Blond guy?" Natsumi repeated, trailing off. After a moment, she hit her fist against her palm. "Oh yeah! Luciago!"

"I think it was just Luca…" Happy trailed off.

"Luca? Luca doesn't sound any better." Natsumi complained.

"That's not the point!' Happy said, chowing down on a chicken leg. "He was a city kid, right? He looked like he'd never been in the woods in his life—he didn't even know the difference between poison mushrooms and tasty ones!"

Natsumi's eyes widened. "You're right. He thought we actually died!" She began to snicker.

"Natsumi!" Happy complained. "I know you're actually worried, you haven't slept right since we left him."

"Me? Worried?" Natsumi scoffed, crossing her arms. "As if. Besides, he made fun of me because I like fire."

"It's not normal to like fire…" Happy responded.

"Don't forget he wanted to go off on his own!" Natsumi shot back.

"Yeah, but I figured we'd go back to make sure he didn't get eaten by a big dog. Humans like him look tasty to doggies like me!"

"Did you just nonchalantly say something scary?" Natsumi asked, giving her companion the side eye. "Anyways, fine. I guess—I mean, if you really want—to we can go try to find him before he gets too constipated from not drinking water."

Natsumi gulped down the remaining bit of her food before standing up and stretching.

"Good grief, we've gotta be at least ten miles from where we were." Natsumi complained. "What a pain."

Without another word, she headed off into the forest.

"Hey, wait for me!" Happy cried, charging after her.

* * *

 **Day 2**

The birds chirped loudly outside Lucas's window, signaling in the morning. Lucas was in a deep, deep slumber, completely unaware of the birds or approaching danger.

The old woman hobbled into Lucas's room, two pots in hand. He looked as innocent as a newborn baby in his deep slumber.

She fixed her mouth into a mischievous grin.

Without warning, she began banging the pots together, causing the birds outside to fly away. Lucas flew out from under the covers and onto his feet with a start, his eyes larger than saucers.

"Good morning Lucas!" She beamed. "Rise and shine, can't sleep past 9am around here."

Lucas groaned and sat back down on the bed. He looked to the crazy old woman in disbelief.

"I know you're still feeling rough, so I cooked you some breakfast. Since your leg is banged up I won't ask you to do much, but I would like you to help me bake some pottery I can sell in nearby towns."

With that, she hobbled out of the room.

"Bake? Pottery? I've never made pottery before..." Lucas complained, his voice fading to a whisper by the end of the sentence.

He didn't even understand how pottery was created. Well he did, but it was nothing he'd ever tried before.

"Come get your food!" She shouted from the kitchen.

His stomach growled loudly, as if it were responding to her command. He limped out of the room, his mind set on the kitchen.

-.-.-

Hours later, he found himself sitting in a pasture outside of the house in front of a large pottery spinner. Clay was everywhere-on the trees, nearby plants, the ground and the tattered shirt she'd allowed him to borrow. Despite trying to make a tiny pot for at least two hours now, he had no success yet.

"Lu," the old woman said, walking swiftly to him, "You have to be careful about these things. Diligent and gentle, like a butterfly. This is an art form."

Lucas raised an eyebrow as she talked. Everything she was saying kept going in one ear and out the other.

"I really don't understand," He began, reaching his hand into the swirling mixture. He began to attempt to shape on side, but every time he got a decent shape going it would just collapse again.

"You're not being gentle enough, dear." The woman said. She took his hand and guided it in smooth, up and down motions. "You start with the base, making the whole bottom, not just one side. Then you slowly work your way around in a circular fashion. _Slowly_."

She pointed to a skinny vase on her side of the pasture. "That's all you're trying to make. It's just shapes. You never used play-dough?"

"What's a play-dough?" Lucas asked, dumbfounded.

The old woman shook her head. "You city goers are so strange..." She hobbled back over to her side of the table. "Look, I believe in you. Just keep going."

Lucas shook his head and stared at the whirring mixture before him. It seemed to get faster and faster, as if taunting him for his incompetence.

"I'm going to go tend to the flowers. I'll be back to check on you in a bit."

"Wait!" Lucas said, reaching his arm out in her direction. She didn't seem to hear him, or was actively ignoring him. Either way, she had disappeared.

He turned his attention back to the table. He steeled himself with all the determination he could muster. Surely he could make a stupid vase. He's closed business deals, he can bake a souffle!

-.-.-

Five hours and thirty five minutes later, his confidence had long since faded. He slumpt over in his chair, utterly defeated. The sun was now blazing orange, signaling in the nightfall.

A large crow landed on the lumpy thing he'd managed to make, causing a large part of it to break off.

"HEY!" Lucas yelled, jumping at the bird.

It cawed loudly as it flew away, leaving Lucas staring at the ugly, cracked mass left behind. He frowned.

"No need to be upset, Lucas," the old woman said.

Lucas looked up to see her heading his way.

"No one's good at this on the first try." She continued. "You just have to keep working at it."

"But I though you needed to sell some of these in town?" Lucas asked, looking a little solemn.

"Never mind me," She said, letting out a chuckle, "I've got other pottery to sell besides this one, not to mention flowers, fruits and vegetables. So don't worry, just call it a night for now."

Lucas nodded his head and followed her back inside. His limp was still there, but he could almost ignore the pain if he stepped just right.

"Tomorrow morning, I'll fix you some breakfast but you'll have to get up and get it yourself. I'll be in town trying to sell things all day."

"Yes ma'am." Lucas replied.

The two were now walking through the creaky house. The old woman switched on a lamp in the corner of the living room before taking a seat on the couch. Lucas headed for his room.

"Don't forget to work on those pottery skills tomorrow!" She shouted from the other room." I'm expecting a slightly less lumpy vase." She laughed loudly at her own joke, much to Lucas's annoyance.

He rolled his eyes as he continued down the hall to his room.

* * *

 **Day 3**

Lucas woke up to the delicious smell of bacon wafting into his room. He hopped to his feet, wincing due to the sudden weight on his foot.

"Old woman, are you in here?" He asked, walking toward the kitchen.

As he reached the kitchen, he saw a huge plate of food waiting for him, and a note.

"Dear Lucas," He read aloud, "I hope you like breakfast today. I took my cart of goods into the nearby town of Casey. I'll be back tonight."

He held the note away from his face. "Casey?" He thought for a moment. "Oh, Casey! Wow, I'm pretty far from Magnolia…" He grinned happily as he sat at the table. No one would ever find him here!

-.-.-

Old Woman's POV

The old woman straightened out a black and beige checkered rug under a little building canopy. Behind her was a wheeled basket, half filled with pottery and half filled with varying produce.

She hummed to herself as she worked, placing all her pots and vases on the right and all her fruits and veggies on the left.

"Good morning, old lady!" A cheerful mailman shouted.

The old woman turned around to see the local mail boy rummaging through his mailsack.

"Morning, Vincent!" She responded back.

The mailman trotted over to her, several letters in hand. "I guess I don't have to head over to your place today."

"Don't be shy dear, you can stop by for cookies or fresh juice anyway if you'd like." She took the letters from him.

"I might have to take you up on that." He responded cheerfully. "Goodbye for now!" He trotted off, continuing about his route.

"Bye dear." She responded, focusing on the letters in her hand. One of which from a Millard Kane caught her attention immediately. "Oh, I've got a letter from my grandson! How nice."

She hummed a tune as she put the letters in her bag. She then took a seat on the ground and adjusted her purple headscarf. Other merchants rolled by and waved at her on their way into the busier section of the market. She was just waiting for the day to start so customers could roll in.

-.-.-

Ezekiel POV

Ezekiel traveled through the ramshackle town of Casey, which was at least 25 miles away from Magnolia. It one of the biggest cities in this region, outside of ones like Almorat, which bordered the countryside. The border cities were his next stops on his journey to find Lucas, but he'd probably have to go refuel on wanted posters soon...

His face was stoic as ever as he posted his remaining wanted signs over every empty wall and telephone post. He soon found himself within a bustling shopping center, where street merchants lined every building. He looked to his hand, finally noticing he only had one sign left.

As he searched for a good place to put his last sign, one particular merchant, a young woman with a table full of pastries, caught his attention.

He looked to the last poster and then to the woman in disdain. After all, he couldn't stop for sweets in the middle of a mission! Then, his eyes lit up with an idea. He quickly hurried over to meet her.

"Good morning Madam," He began. "By chance, have you seen a blond young man in the vicinity?" He held up his reward poster.

She began to blush as she gazed at the scarlet haired man. "N-No, I haven't seen anyone like him around. Not too many young blonds around here after all."

"Is that so?" He asked. "Well, please contact this number if you see him." He handed him a business card, which she gladly accepted.

"Will do… Ezekiel." She responded, studying his card. "I just feel so bad that I couldn't help. Why don't you take some of my strawberry cake to go? For free."

Ezekiel's eyes lit up in delight. "I-I would love to."

Moments later, he was on his way with a plate of strawberry cake. Although he had no luck in finding Lucas, this strawberry cake made up for all the yelling Mr. Heartfilia would do once he returned empty handed.

He stopped by several other booths, although none of those merchants had any relevant information either. As he reached the last few sections of the market, he saw nothing but old people before him. He silently cursed.

"If none of the other merchants have seen him, these old folks certainly won't remember." He mumbled to himself.

He sighed and posted his last poster on a nearby building before continuing down his route. As he walked, an old woman with lots of fruit and pottery caught his attention. She was just so petite to be sitting there all by herself. From the look of it, she hadn't gotten any customers all day.

"Ma'am, can I get a bundle of strawberries?" He asked.

The old woman looked up at him in suprise. "Of course! That'll be 7 jewels."

Ezekiel fumbled for his wallet and produced a twenty-jewel bill. "Keep the change."

"Thanks sonny!" She said, handing him his fruit.

"You're welcome. Be safe, old woman." With that he headed back in the opposite direction he'd come from. After all, there were very few other merchants beyond her.

"You too dearie!" She called as she walked away.

Ezekiel shook his head. What a waste of a day. At least he got to eat a lot of cake and strawberries.

* * *

 **That's that! So close, Ezekiel, but no cigar. Sorry for taking so long with this chapter. I will have the next one up as soon as I can. Let me know of what I can do to improve, or any glaring spelling errors.**

 **Love,**

 **Af1-chan**


	8. Evanesce

**_Last Time..._**

 ** _Natsumi POV_**

 _"Don't forget he wanted to go off on his own!" Natsumi shot back._

 _"Yeah, but I figured we'd go back to make sure he didn't get eaten by a big dog. Humans like him look tasty to doggies like me!"_

 _"Did you just nonchalantly say something scary?" Natsumi asked, giving her companion the side eye. "Anyways, fine. I guess—I mean, if you really want—to we can go try to find him before he gets too constipated from not drinking water."_

 _-.-.-_

 ** _Lucas POV_**

 _"Dear Lucas," He read aloud, "I hope you like breakfast today. I took my cart of goods into the nearby town of Casey. I'll be back tonight."_

 _He held the note away from his face. "Casey?" He thought for a moment. "Oh, Casey! Wow, I'm pretty far from Magnolia…" He grinned happily as he sat at the table. No one would ever find him here!_

 _-.-.-_

 ** _Ezekial POV_**

 _"If none of the other merchants have seen him, these old folks certainly won't remember." He mumbled to himself._

 _He sighed and posted his last poster on a nearby building before continuing down his route. As he walked, an old woman with lots of fruit and pottery caught his attention. She was just so petite to be sitting there all by herself. From the look of it, she hadn't gotten any customers all day._

 _"Ma'am, can I get a bundle of strawberries?" He asked._

 _The old woman looked up at him in suprise. "Of course! That'll be 7 jewels."_

 _Ezekiel fumbled for his wallet and produced a twenty-jewel bill. "Keep the change."_

 _"Thanks sonny!" She said, handing him his fruit._

 _"You're welcome. Be safe, old woman." With that he headed back in the opposite direction he'd come from. After all, there were very few other merchants beyond her._

 _"You too dearie!" She called as she walked away._

 _Ezekiel shook his head. What a waste of a day. At least he got to eat a lot of cake and strawberries._

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Evanesce**

Crickets chirped loudly amidst the darkness outside. Lucas curled up further under his blanket in a futile attempt to drown them out. He probably wouldn't ever get used to the noisy bugs outside. These restless nights will surely be the death of him.

It didn't help that the old woman had yet to make it back from the market. Thinking back, she mentioned she would be back by sunset, so Lucas was beginning to worry. The absolute worst scenarios swirled through his mind—sudden illness, a massive heart attack, a kidnapping, a stray bear or even the return of the scorned wolf... Considering their location, anything was a possibility. Needless to say, his anxiety was swelling, rendering him desperate but unable to rest.

He shut his eyes tightly and began to count sheep. He started all the way from 100… then 99… 98… 75… 72… 65… 50… 43… and somewhere along the way, he dozed himself to sleep.

-.-.-

The old woman hummed a tune as she fumbled with her house keys in the darkness of night. The task was illuminated only by the porch light overhead. Despite the sounds of roaring crickets and unidentified creatures, she wasn't in a major rush to get inside. After living in the woods for as long as she has, the sounds of unknown creatures no longer phase you.

Today, she kept her shop open much longer than her typical 10am-5pm shift. In fact, by the time she had actually left the market, the sun was already setting. The old woman would've been forced to lug her cart home in the dark—and although she could certainly handle it herself—her postal worker friend, Vincent, noticed her plight right as he prepared to head off to his remaining mail route. Since he had free time after work, he promised he'd drive her home after he finished his mail rounds—if she didn't mind the hour she got home. She figured why not take a free ride and some conversation.

By the time she'd finished talking his ear off, it was dark outside. He couldn't drop her off directly in front of the house since the boxy shape of his postal truck made it difficult to navigate the unpaved road, but the old woman appreciated it just as much. He helped her unload her cart from the back of his truck and went on his way.

At last she found the stubborn house key she was looking for. Smiling, she entered the darkened house. There was no sign of life.

"Of course he's gone to bed already…" She murmured.

She set her basket of left over goods on the table, leaving only her keys and mail in her hand. She stared at the mail for a bit with the letter from Millard Kane resting on top. A devious glint sparkled in her eye.

"Lucas, good news!" The old woman declared, bursting into his room.

Lucas jolted out of his sleep, hitting his head on the bed's banister. A few mumbles escaped as he caressed his now aching head. He turned and squinted in her direction.

"Old lady, you're back…" He rubbed his eyes as his vision slowly returned to him. "Yes?"

"My grandson is planning to visit me in the coming weeks!" She said, smiling as brightly as possible.

"Oh, wonderful." He said sarcastically, mildly miffed by the hour.

"He's about your age," she continued. "Maybe you can make a new friend."

"Maybe." Lucas replied nonchalantly. He sat up in his bed. "How was the market today?"

"Oh it was great! I sold quite a lot of fruit—strawberries in particular."

"I'm glad." Lucas nodded. A huge yawn escaped his lips.

"As soon as you get good at that pottery, I'm sure my traffic will increase even more!"

Lucas rubbed his head sheepishly. That wouldn't be happening anytime soon.

The old woman turned to leave. "I won't keep you up any further. Good night."

"Goodnight old lady." Lucas mumbled, tucking himself under the covers.

 **Day 7**

Lucas sat outside, molding and molding away at his pottery bowl. Although he hadn't made much progress, he appreciated being stuck with such a simple task. Earlier this morning, he ate the simple breakfast he was becoming accustomed to, eggs and bacon with a big glass of orange juice. It was hard to believe he was critically dehydrated a week before. All the woman asked for in return for her generosity was for him to rest up his leg and learn how to make pottery. It was a simple, but fulfilling, life.

 **Day 11**

Lucas yawned as he spread his arms wide, welcoming in the morning with a huge stretch. He flexed the ankle he'd fallen on, only to find no sign of the pain that had resided there over the past week or so. A smile crept to his face. Today would be a great day.

He climbed out of bed and headed for the kitchen. He could both hear and smell this morning's sizzling bacon all the way in the hall. A little dribble of drool collected in the corner of his mouth.

"Good morning, Old Lady." Lucas said, taking a seat at the table.

"Good morning Lucas," She responded, placing his food on the table. "How're you feeling?"

"Surprisingly, my leg feels completely better, like nothing happened." He said, tearing into his bacon.

"Thank goodness," She said cheerily, "I guess I can have you help out in the garden now too."

"Eh?" Lucas gasped. "I haven't even managed to form one decent pot… I can't take care of a garden!"

"You can still work on pottery while you help in the garden… I believe in you dear. Plus you'll have a lot of fun."

Lucas frowned ever so slightly. "Okay, I'll do it." As an (un)official freeloader, he was in no position to refuse.

 **Ezekial POV**

Just over two weeks had passed since the young master had gone missing, yet no additional information had surfaced on what happened to him. Every small lead was a lie or dead end. It was almost like he'd never existed.

It was a scary thought to be sure. He'd covered a large percentage of Fiore by now, even visiting several towns bordering Alvarez in the Southwest and cities along the border of Constalla in the North. No one had any information on Lucas. He was a ghost.

The stress of his failure was beginning to take its toll. Recently, Ezekial had significantly upped his strawberry related intake—especially strawberry cake. It was a nervous quirk of his. In fact, he was eating strawberry cake right now. He was currently sitting passenger side on the way to a distant city called Almorat. It was a city bordering the same forest as Casey, the town that he'd received free strawberry cake and purchased high quality strawberries several days before. Although they shared a forest, Almorat was much further away than Casey and shared more of its neighboring country's culture than Fiore's. Something kept drawing him to this area, and it wasn't just the cake.

The chauffer pulled to a stop at the entrance of the rundown town. Ezekial frowned. Its streets were cobblestone and its people were piss poor. He would judge it as the perfect hideout for moneygrubbing bandits, but of course he could say the same of 85% of the other towns he'd visited thus far.

As he stepped out of the car, he couldn't help but notice the way the town's sluggish residents turned toward him, greed and bit of anger evident in their eyes. Ezekial was undeterred. He strolled confidently into town, a stack of papers in hand.

"Excuse me," He began, stopping an elderly couple lurking at the town gates. "Could you spare a minute of your time? I'm looking-"  
"Sorry sonny, we don't like strangers around these parts." The elderly man interrupted. "But I hope you can find what you're looking forward. Good day."

"Wait-" He began, his voice stopping short. They'd already turned their backs and begun to walk away.

He sighed. No matter, these streets were crawling with people.

He turned to another person nearby, an aging blonde woman.

"Good day, ma'am," He began. "Could i have a minute of you-"

"Don't talk to me, rich pervert." She seethed, turning her nose and walking away.

Ezekial stood with his mouth aghast. Never in life had he been treated this rudely. If he wasn't on the clock right now…

A few feet away, he spotted a middle age couple exiting a building. He put on his most winning smile.

"Excuse me!" He said, cheerfully waving as he walked over.

"Ew." The woman mumbled to her husband. The two pretended to not see him as they walked away.

Ezekial stopped walking immediately. He gripped the papers in his hands with excessive force, channeling all his anger into his grasp.

"Oi I was talking to you!" He shouted, storming after them. His siege was interrupted by him bumping into something small. He looked down to see none other than a scarlet haired girl in slightly tattered clothing. Huge bags and a sad frown adorned her skinny face.

"Excuse me, sir," She began, "Do you have any spare change?"

"Ahh…" Ezekial stammered, trying to sooth his previous anger.

The girl looked to the ground. "It's okay. I understand." With that, she walked away.

"W-Wait, hold on!" He said loudly, blushing from embarrassment.

The girl turned heel immediately, hurrying back over to him with big eyes. He fumbled with his wallet, which was tucked way deeper into his pocket than reasonably possible. Finally, he managed to rescue a 20 Jewel bill and handed it to the expectant girl.

"Woah!" She gasped, gawking at the bill in her hand. "Thank you so much Mr.!"

"No problem." He said, patting her on the head.

He looked around for his next target. From what he could tell, everyone was avoiding eye contact. In fact, the packed area was noticeably less busy since his arrival. Sighing, he decided to talk to the local shop owners next. At the moment, the bald, overweight owner of some kind of a fresh produce stall was the least occupied.

As he approached, he couldn't help but notice the area next to him was completely charred. It was only then he noticed the massive amount of construction happening further into the town. He also couldn't help but notice the little girl from earlier was following him. He sighed, choosing to ignore her rather than waste his anger further.

"Good morning to you, sir." Ezekial bowed to the shop keeper.

"Hello." He greeted. "You buying something?"

Ezekial eyed the fresh fruit, specifically the strawberries with greed. He shook his head, keeping his eyes on the mission.

"Uh, no, I actually just have a question for you."

"Sorry," He shrugged, "Can't talk if you ain't buying."

"Huh?" Ezekial replied angrily.

"I've got a business to run here," The man explained. "I can't just sit and chit chat all day—else I'll lose all my money!"

Ezekial suppressed a low growl as he fumbled with his wallet. He pulled out another 20 Jewel bill. The little girl looked on in amazement.

"Here." He said, angrily whipping the bill at him. "I will take some strawberries."

"Oh, thanks so much!" The man smiled, marveling at the bill. He filled up a basket of strawberries as Ezekial tapped his foot impatiently. He handed him the full basket.

"Now, about my question…" Ezekial said, pulling a paper from the top of the crumpled stack in his hand.

"Ah, ah, ah," The man said with a smirk, "Money talks."

"What-!" Ezekial hissed. He pulled out a five jewel bill and placed it on the counter.

The man just continued to smirk.

Ezekial blew out a large breath of air through his nose. Slowly, he pulled a pocket knife from his pants pocket and pulled out a blade.

"O-Oi, I'll call the-eee!" He shrieked as Ezekial stabbed another five and forced it through the wooden stand with the other bill.

"Now sir, I have been _more_ than generous with my patronage here." He began, placing his hands on the greedy man's cart. "Now, so help me God, if you cannot help me with my question I will have Heartfilia Corporation personally buy this entire town, mow it down, and make our next corporate office on top of the rubble. Have I made myself clear?"

"C-Crystal…" The man agreed, tears forming in the corners of his eyes.

"Great." Ezekial smiled. He removed the knife, sheathed it and placed it back in his pocket.

"Forgive me, I was just joking. I take things too far sometimes…" The bald man mumbled as Ezekial uncrumpled one of the papers.

"Sure, sure." He responded impatiently. Finally, he managed to straighten out the page. "Have you seen this boy?"

"Uhh…" The man squinted at the paper, but he didn't have a clue. Sensing his confusion, Ezekial's hair begun to stand on end.

"Sorry! Sorry! Please forgive me, I don't know anything!" He cried, dropping to his knees behind the cramped stand.

Ezekial took in a deep breath and blew it out. "It can't be helped." He set the entire stack down on the stand and pulled his wallet out again. The little girl looked on in amusement. "Look, I'm a busy man and quite frankly I'm tired of your town's inhospitality. So, how much would it cost for you to shut down your entire stall and hand these out for me?"

"What? Are you out of your mind?!" The man said angrily. "I can't close down for a whole-"

"I asked, 'how much would it cost?'" Ezekial repeated dangerously, "Or would you rather me put you completely out of business?"

The man sniffled. "250J…" He said.

"Is that all?" Ezekial scoffed. He pulled said amount from his wallet and shoved it at him. "Now, go ask your fellow townspeople, post them on buildings, I don't care. I just want all of these gone in two hours, _or else."_

"Yes sir!" The man cried, grabbing a stack and rushing off toward the city center.

Ezekial shook his head. What an annoying town. Worst of all, it would probably end up being a dead end anyway, just like all the rest.

"It was really the principle of the thing." He muttered to himself, catching one of several papers that had flown out of the man's hand during his grand escape. Lucas's smiling face stared back at him, clad in business casual attire. Ezekial's heart panged with sadness.

"I'll catch them, I'll catch them!" The little girl declared, distracting him from his sorrow.

He watched in amusement as the little girl struggled to jump and catch the papers in mid air. With her bright, red colored hair, any passing stranger would swear they were siblings. Fortunately, he had no relation to this dirty brat.

He figured he might as well walk around the city a bit more and make use this remaining flyer while he waited for the greedy asshole to finish his new job. She looked to the little girl again, who was now standing still and studying the flyers carefully. Ezekial shook his head. Kids were truly funny.

"Farewell." He said to the girl as he walked away.

"Wait big brother," the girl began, stopping Ezekial in his tracks.

"B-Big Brother?" He repeated, nearly choking on his spit.

"I recognize this boy…" She said, looking up at him.

Ezekial's eyes widened. He shook the hope from his head. "It's not good to lie. You won't get presents from Santa."

"I'm serious!" She protested. "He ran away when our town was on fire."

Ezekial stared at her incredulously. "What do you mean?"

"I'll tell you," She began, a mischievous glint in her little eyes, "For a price."

Ezekial gave her a light punch on the top of the head, much to her dismay. "Fine, brat. What do you want?"

-.-.-

 **Day 18**

Birds chirped away in the early hours of the morning. The old woman of the cabin was already wide awake, despite it being 5am.

She hummed a tune as she dusted off the cabinets, swept and mopped the floors. She made sure every piece of furniture was in its proper place, albeit it wasn't much. Finally, she pulled out an entire pack of bacon from her refrigerator. She laid each piece out on a pan rhythmically, then placed it in the oven.

"Oh, eggs and French toast would be nice too." She said to herself, heading back to the fridge and pantry, respectively.

She continued to hum as she skipped cheerfully out of the kitchen. She made her way through the short hallway and into Lucas's room, where he was snoring away loudly in a large white t-shirt and checkered pajama pants. She smiled sweetly at his sleeping form. He'd gotten so comfortable here in as time went on. He had even started referring to her as granny fairly recently. She never thought such happiness would come from a strange woodland boy—well scratch that he'd said he was from the city. Either way, this lost city boy was becoming a grandson to her. Speaking of grandsons…

"Good morning!" The old woman chirped, opening the blinds by Lucas's bed.

Lucas stirred lightly, but ultimately turned away from the window. He snuggled into his pillow peacefully.

The old woman placed her hands on her hips and made a face. "Good morning!" She repeated, much less enthusiastically.

Lucas did not so much as stir.

Angrily, the old woman stormed to the top of the bed and stared at Lucas's sleeping face. After a few moments, she threw the covers off the bed and yelled, "Now, good morning!"

Lucas pulled himself into a startled, shivering ball and slowly looked to the old lady. "Good morning…" He replied.

"That's the spirit!" She said gleefully.

Lucas looked on quizzically as the old woman paraded around his room, straightening up crooked furniture and dusting every surface possible.

"What's gotten into you, gran?" Lucas asked, uncurling himself.

"Well you see," She said, straightening the family photo on the dresser, "I got another letter from my grandson yesterday. He's going to be here this afternoon."

"Oh, is that so?" He asked, throwing his legs onto the floor.

"Yes!" She chirped. "I haven't seen him in years…"

Lucas stood up and yawned obnoxiously.

"What time is it?" Lucas asked, sinking back onto the bed.

"About 5:45." She replied, skipping out of the room.

"5:45?! A.M.?!" Lucas gasped.

Just when he'd gotten used to getting up early, she made him get up even earlier.

-.-.-

Lucas sat at the kitchen table as the old woman plated up the food. He felt like death. This was way too early, even for her.

Even still, he couldn't help but smile as the old woman hummed an old tune he had long since become familiar with. How could he complain if she was so happy? Plus, his limp and leg pain were 100% gone, he was well fed, hydrated, sheltered from animals and the elements, and completely off the radar. He truly couldn't complain.

She placed the food in front of him, a whopping five pieces of bacon, a side of eggs and some french toast. His mouth began to water. He waited for the woman to sit down before digging in.

"My my, working in the garden has really increased your appetite." She laughed.

Lucas continued to tear into his food without a word. A small blush spread across his face.

The sound of an obnoxious horn ripped through the house, startling Lucas. The old woman perked up immediately.

"That must be him!" She said cheerily, rushing to the door.

Lucas watched as she left the kitchen, his eyes following her to the door. She opened the door wide.

"Millard!" She shouted cheerily. "You said you'd be here in the afternoon!" Lucas craned his head to see the new member of the household, but from what he could tell, he was not at the door yet.

A gruff voice responded in the distance, way too far away for Lucas to decipher. Lucas shrugged and turned back to his remaining food, scarfing down his toast in three bites. He began working on a piece of bacon as footsteps creaked across the porch.

"I haven't seen you in forever," The old woman cooed. "You're such a grown man now!" She exclaimed.

"Oh stop gran gran, you're embarrassing me-" Millard replied, his voice falling off awkwardly at the end of the sentence.

Intrigued by his tone, Lucas turned to see the grandson Granny had been raving about. His bacon tumbled from his mouth to the floor in what seemed like slow motion.

Standing awkwardly behind him was a tall, somewhat buff man with his long black hair slicked back into a ponytail. His piercing blue eye was open as wide as it could go, where as the other one was permanently closed by a long scar. He was clearly shaken by Lucas's presence.

"Lucas," The old woman began, standing in front of the scary man, "Meet my dear grandson, Milly."

Lucas stared on in shock as 'Milly' extended his hand to him. "Oh please, Lucas" He began, a condescending expression replacing the former shock on his face. "Do call me Kane."

* * *

I hope you enjoyed chapter 8! Chapter 9 will get right back into the action. I wish I could get these updates out faster, but I have a lot going on. I hope you guys will understand. I really try my best.

See ya next time,

AF1


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